ONE WAY -> Jesus

One Way -> Jesus 2008

2008-07-21T05:21:00.005+08:00

I'm back! Changing the Aesthetic look of my Blog, Sharing what I went through for these 7 months...with Jesus & the Journey...the Pain & the Gain, the Law & Grace,the Shepherd & the Sheep, The loving Kindness, The Tender Mercy...

Hillsong Live - Healer (Song Story)

Verse1

You hold my every moment

You calm my raging seas

You walk with me through fire

And heal all my disease

I trust in You

Chorus

I believe You're my Healer

I believe You are all I need

I believe You're my Portion

I believe You're more than enough for me

Jesus You're all I need

Bridge

Nothing is impossible for You

You hold my world in Your hands

Born to be a blessing!

2007-11-30T05:23:00.000+08:00

Belated Merry X'mas & Happy New Year to all brothers & sisters in Christ! I 'log in' the date of November last year as I blog once a month but little did I know it took me 2 months after my last entry. I had stomach & gastric flu just a few days before the Korea trip with the family & by grace of Jesus; I manage to recover though the doctor warned me that I am not fit to travel. This is another amazingly testimony I will share in the next entry, God is good is definitely an understatement...

I am unwell and had been on medical leaves for near to 15 days, which is why I had not blog as I spend most of my time resting in bed. My asthma was triggered after a week of lung infection & doctor’s explanation was stress & bad weather. I had very bad asthma since young but stopped for 10 years & this relapse is really challenging. Frequent chest pain, feeling breathless, induces fatigue & frustration. Beloved, pray for me & I am keeping myself joyful with verse 1 Thess 5:16-18 [NCV], "Always be joyful. Pray continually, & give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants you in Christ Jesus."

Dread for medical review coming Monday, was advised to rest in hospital but I chose to stay at home as I never like hospital environment. The smell, the machines...Last Sunday I managed to attend service where Pastor Brian Houston from Hillsong Church quoted a verse that is inspiring from the book of Nehemiah. "So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose...And Ezra opened the book in sight of all the people; & opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the Great God. Then all the people answered, "Amen, Amen! While lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads & worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground." Neh 8:4-6 [NKJV]

His revelation of the word "platform" reaches deep into my heart. We have various platforms to share the grace of God from our workplace to our family! What stuck me most was the voice of the Lord; He spoke about the new "platform", our blogs in cyberspace where an island such as Singapore can be reached to as far as United States, Australia, Britain, Africa, India, & China...basically the whole World! In the old covenant, with Ezra just opening the book, everyone fell on their faces to worship the Lord, how much more is the new covenant where Jesus, the son of God, on the old rugged cross gave us life, a life of abundance & grace! Amen?!

Result of good Gospel of Jesus Christ is health & wealth. If we are still debating about health & wealth whether these are the portion of the Gospel, then we have problem with Jesus as everywhere Jesus went He healed every individuals. Everywhere Jesus went, He made fishermen who toil all night caught nothing; He gave them a net breaking boat of fishes. He fed 5000 with 12 baskets full of left over! Health & wealth is the result of the Gospel, the Gospel of Grace! By Faith Abel offered...By Faith Enoch was taken...By Faith Noah...By Faith Abraham...By Faith Sarah...By Faith Jacob...By Faith Joseph...By Faith Moses...By Faith Rahab...Heb 11:1-40 [NASB] By Faith Amen?! All things are possible through Christ Jesus! By Faith we are Healed, we are Blessed Amen?!

With Jesus. No back-door entrance. No late-night arrival. Paradise knows neither night nor second-class citizens. As we accept His forgiveness, our day of gripes & groans becomes a day of gratitude. Gratitude is the firstborn child of grace, the appropriate response of the blessed. When others nail us to the cross of our past, Jesus swings open the door to our future paradise. Jesus treats our shame-filled days with grace. We are wrong. He is right. We sin. He is the Savior. We need grace. Jesus can give it. So ask Him, "Remember me when you enter the kingdom." And when you do, the one who spoke then will speak again. "Today you will join me in paradise."

Inspired By:

Pastor Brian Houston, Pastor Prince & Max Lucado

A good opinion of God!

2007-10-15T02:01:00.000+08:00

Praise Jesus I get to blog tonight! Just finish listening to one of the sermon of Pastor Prince full of blessings to share. If we are believing right, we will be living right as Jesus came to give us grace! Why do we need faith if we can earn it? I learn this truth just about a week ago when my sister wakes up in the morning complaining of pain & had a relapse. I was half asleep as I was working on one of the project till dawn, in fact I did not sleep at all, mum looked at me for my opinion & I was just exhausted, I could not think...

To cut the story short, we sent her to a private hospital, got one of the best doctor to attend to her, X-rays were taken & the doctor initiated another CT scan. When mum told me about this, my first reaction was, "Oh Christ, this must be costly!" as I know all the scans are expensive, indeed this medical incident was expensive. However, the next day, the scan was reviewed, my sister was just suffering from indigestion & all is good! Thank you Jesus!

At times, I don't understand God's plan. Why are there trials and tribulations? I came to comprehend this => when God does not give us what we want, it does not means He is not loving us but strengthening us inside. When God shuts a window, He will open a door. When God shuts a door, He will open a Big Gate! Amen?! I never dream I will blog for the Glory of God! I never dream I will sit still in Church, listening to sermons, to share God's love for us! Jesus transforms me! Beloved, trust God, trust the goodness of God! Trials can destroy us if we don't have a good opinion of God! We can rejoice in trials as all things work together for Good! Troubles and trials have redemptive quality! God will use us, our experience to be a Blessing of someone out there...

Now I know I am not an accident but born with a purpose in life! Out of our strength of trials, we will strengthen others! Let the result speak for itself! Just like now I am busy training my team, in fact a new team was formed out of His grace, that is why I been so busy but I want to make it a point monthly no matter how busy I am, I must blog to share with all beloved, His goodness & grace.

When we lose our temper with a Child, Christ intervenes: "I've Paid for that." When we tell a lie & all of Heaven groans, our Savior speaks up: "My death covered that Sin." As we lust, gloat, covet, or judge, Jesus stands before the tribunal of Heaven & points to the Blood-Streaked cross. "I've already made provision. I've taken away the sins of the World." "You therefore my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." 2 Tim 2:1 [NKJV]

Lift our eyes off the weeds. Major in the grace of God. "Always be joyful. Pray continually, & give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thess 5:16-18 [NCV]. Always be joyful. Give thanks whatever happens. Learn to handle troubles cheerfully & with good opinion, as opportunities rather than irritations for there are plenty of big jobs waiting for people who are not afraid of troubles...Impossible, we say? How do we know? How do we know until we give every day a chance?

Inspired By:

Pastor Prince & Max Lucado

Now !!!

2007-09-18T02:32:00.000+08:00

"For He says, at acceptable Time I listened to you. And on the day of Salvation I helped You." Behold NOW is "The Day of Salvation" 2 Cor 6:2 [NASB] Powerful revelation from Pastor Prince, as I never notice the word now till last week Bible study! In the name of Jesus Christ, I proclaim NOW, all bondages of yours will break be it spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically or financially! As Jesus cried on the Cross: "It is finished!!!" Amen?!

As for me, work is a never ending story, I will Blog at least once a month as daily I miss all of you, beloved Champions! Had stomach Flu for 2 weeks & irritable bowel due to stress. Pastor is preaching about Rest & his sermons came at the right time as I am burning out. Rest simply means to do what you can at your best e.g. in your work place & leave the rest to the Lord! Stop laboring your job, thinking how is my proposal? Am I doing enough to follow up with my sales clients, will my director accept my proposal etc...

On last Wednesday during the Bible Study, out of no where came my worry to Bless my family for a holiday. The deceptions of Satan came with deceptions: aren't you upgrading to a premium car? Do you think your family will appreciate you for doing so? [I attend New Creation Church while the rest of my family house themselves in another Church. At times we have conflict over the matter of Grace while it is the Grace teaching from Pastor Prince Ministry that brought me out of the land of lack to prosperity of entering the promise land flowing with milk & honey!] At that exact moment of my thoughts, Pastor preached that "Money is to be used! Don't save at the expense of fear. Don't use people, love people. I felt that sense of peace words cannot describe..."

Cutting the testimony short, I bless my whole family for a trip to Korea in winter as my younger sister wanted to have a feel of snow! My family chooses the package & I bless them with the grace of Jesus. I felt the peace in my heart, as Devil, you do not tell us what to do in our life as we are Child of most high God! Amen?! I had my plans as well to visit sister Janice for the cheese cake, Sister Kitty, Sister Lori Sister Dana etc

"This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" Psalm 118:24 [NKJV]. So we should give our day by a chance, change our view, & imitate the resolve of the psalmist: "I will rejoice & be glad in it." We can't spend tomorrow's money, celebrate tomorrow's achievements, or resolve tomorrow's riddles. We have only today: This is the day that the Lord has made. We must be present to win! Don't heavy today with yesterday's regrets or acidize it with tomorrow's troubles. But we tend to do so don't we; I confess I do at times!

We sabotage our day, wiring it for disaster, lugging along yesterday's troubles, downloading tomorrow's struggles. Remorse over the past, anxiety over future. We aren't giving our day a chance! God's mercies are new every morning. Receive them. Lightning strikes us as well. Thunderbolts of regret can ignite & consume us. Counteract them with downpours of God's grace, Jesus blood daily washings of forgiveness. "The Lord's love never ends; His mercies never stop. They are new every morning" Lam 3:22-23 [NCV]

Inspired By:

Pastor Prince & Max Lucado

I see Grace...

2007-08-17T03:40:00.000+08:00

Beloved, Child of most high God, pardon me for my slow reply. Just want you to know, every line you left on my blog, I see grace, I felt love of Abba in Heaven & thank you for all the prayers for me & my family. Deeply appreciated...

Work is heavy. Encounter many challenges for the month, just like David versus Goliath. Facing the Giants. My router burnt out, thus I lost internet connection & my desktop computer had some software conflicts & had to be formatted. Data recovery is a nightmare...

All in all of the fiasco, I kept telling myself "the battle is the Lord's" I shall just rest in Him. My sister should be better, I hardly get to see her as I worked till late, when I'm home she had rested for the night. Mum didn't mention about her medical condition, I just trust the Lord for her healing! Amen?! As God is good!

A close friend of mine 'sold me' out of a business deal recently. I was so angry with him as our years of friendship was traded for financial gains. Every man for himself. Get all you can, & can all you get. Survival of the fittest? I prayed about it & ask Jesus how could such happen to me? Me! Child of most high God!

He led me to Eccles 7:9 [TEV] "It is foolish to harbor a grudge". An eye for an eye becomes a neck for a neck & a job for a job & a reputation for a reputation. "Godwyn, When does it stop?" Vengeance fixes our attention at life's ugliest moments. Score-settling freezes our stare at cruel events in our past. Is this where we want to look? Will rehearsing & reliving our hurts make us a better person? By no means. It will destroy us...

Revenge removes Jesus from the equation. Vigilantes displace & replace Jesus. "I'm not sure you can handle this one, Jesus. You may punish him too little or too slowly. I'll take this matter into my hands, thank you" Ever have such thoughts? I admit I do at times. No one had a clearer sense of right & wrong than the perfect Son of God, Jesus!

Give grace. Forgiveness is not foolish. Forgiveness is, at its core, choosing to see our offender with different eyes. To forgive is to move on...Jesus lived the life we could not live & took the punishment we could not take to offer the hope we cannot resist. His sacrifice begs us this question: If he so loved us, can we not love each other? Having been forgiven, can we not forgive? Having feasted at the table of grace, can we not share a few crumbs? "My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other" Rom 12:21 [MSG]

Inspired By:

Max Lucado

My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

2007-07-03T02:34:00.000+08:00

I had not blog since 31st of May, 2007, 'lame excuses' of being with work & family while the truth is, I am not good with time management. As for me, I start things with an aim to finish them. Writing an entry, I have to meditate with the presence of Holy Spirit who guides us through all things. Thus, it can be a few hours just to pen down an entry...

Even though I did not blog & share my awesome testimonies, God never stop loving me. I'm reading "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom instead of Gospel books, I feed myself daily. God did not send lighting down from Heaven to burn away my book. Father in Heaven instead Bless me with another high end sale of a landed property, transacted within 24 hours of an open house. However, I am not saying, we do nothing, just awaiting for favors & blessing as the scripture say, "The lazy shall not eat..."

My challenges for month of June? Just misplace my car key & Dad found it in the washing machine! As there are electronic devices for key-less entry, the water might have damaged the key, I tried using it & it works! Even in time of tribulations God knows every of your needs. Lost some sales accounts, down with sickness & pain, heaps more & I should not complain as looking back, there is only one who can walk me through, His name is Jesus...Let Jesus be the friend you need. Talk to him. Spare no detail. Disclose your fear & describe your dread...

Sister Janice, Godzhart, Lori, Audrey, PIA & more were concern about my 'disappearance' so kind of them to drop me lines of encouragement. Brother Kevin even wrote me a personal email to up lift my heart. I'm so bless with all your prayers as the scripture says, when two or more agree, it will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. I 'threw' all my work aside, determined to share an entry as I miss all of you!

Some sharing, during this month, I experience the true nature of God; He will never leave us or forsake us as Jesus took it all for us, "My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?" Matt 27:46 Father forsaken His beloved only Son, for you & me to be a child of God! The new covenant cut between Christ & our Abba in Heaven. Facing tribulations be it being emotions, physical or financial, run to Him! "For sin shall not be master you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but grace." Rom 6:14-15

When I am desperate, I go to God's sanctuary. God's sanctuary is the place where God meets & ministers to hopeless hearts. Make God your refuge. Not our job, our spouse, our reputation, or our retirement account. Make God our refuge. Let Him encircle us. Let Him be the ceiling that breaks the sunshine, the walls that stop the wind, the foundation on which we stand. We'll ever know that Jesus is all we need until Jesus is all you have. Are you in the wilderness with me? Let's find refuge in God's presence...

Inspired By:

Pastor Prince & Max Lucado

Know Your Enemy

2007-05-31T22:33:00.000+08:00

My younger sister had been away from school for about a month due to poor health. She is going for another round of medical examination later in the day. This had been going on for the past 2 years & at times I can't help myself but to doubt...Abba are you there? I have been very busy with work & was not feeling too well for the past weeks. Constant flu & fever, doctor never stop but use the same explanation of the letter S...Stress! That briefly summarized for my absence of blogging that I miss most in my life...

Let's dive into the words I have been 'feeding' for the past one month! Trouble seems to be as much of a part of life as breathing. Everyone has trouble at some point in his or her life. And human nature always wants to place the blame for its trouble on someone else. When trouble arises, the most natural thing to do is to place the blame for it on someone or something. Sadly, for the most part, many Christians have been falsely accusing God of being the cause of their troubles. This is the number one deception sown in the Church today - that our problems, our trials & our temptations are send by God to teach us. This lie says that trials & tribulations are God's tools of developing & strengthening our character...

The very extreme end of this deception is that God Himself is the author or our troubles or that God is the One who makes us sick in order to teach us something. This is absolutely against the word of God. Why? Because the very basic principle of the Christian life is to know that God put our sin, sickness, disease, sorrow, grief & poverty on Jesus at Calvary. For God to put any of this on us to teach us or to strengthen our faith would be a miscarriage of justice. To believe that God has a purpose for your sickness would mean that Jesus bore your sicknesses in vain. What an insult to His love & care & compassion toward us!!!

"All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth." Matt 28:18 [NASB] Satan has been stripped of his power. The devil knows he is defenseless, so in order to stop the revelation of God's word in the believer, his only tool is deception. He usually does this most successfully in the area of religion. He uses religion to blind & deceive the people. By sowing the seed of deception through religious tradition, Satan has robbed the Church of her power. He has no defense against our real spiritual weapons, but he can easily defend himself against our carnal, religious traditions...

I have good news for you! "In righteousness you will be established; You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; And from terror, for it will not come near you. If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me. Whoever assails you will fall because of you. Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals. And brings out a weapon for its works; And I have created the destroyer to ruin. No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their vindication is from Me." Isaiah 54: 14-17 [NASB]

The battle lines are drawn. God is not your problem. Satan is your problem-he is your enemy. But the good news is that God has provided our complete deliverance through Jesus Christ...Amen?! No matter what happens, remember His promise…"I am with you always, even to the end of age" Matt 28:20

Inspired By:

Kenneth Copeland

The Love of God

2007-04-22T20:28:00.000+08:00

"Blessed shall you be when you come in, & blessed shall you be when you go out." Deut 28:6 [NASB] This is not just a scripture promise, this is reality of life Jesus had given us through His sacrifice. When days I felt beaten, I felt the defeat, I will remind myself reading Deuteronomy 28, our blessing through the love of God, the perfect sacrifice of His only Son for all our sins...

My breakthrough of sales came to past on the 9th of April 2007, where Daddy in Heaven blessed me the sale of a high-end condominium worth S$1.7 million & the developer issued a professional fee of S$17,178. Praise Jesus as that was my birthday as well, what a much awaited blessing I pined since my migration of marketing to sales took place. I am just so blessed even little issue of my life such as I need to buy a new belt, I was blessed by a brother in Christ, the exact made I wanted & he had kept it for years never use much! You may say oh Godwyn, things are good for you thus you declare God is good. You are very wrong my beloved, as there are times I faced great multitude of adversity, I choose to count my blessings & I praise God when things are bad, I praise God when things are good...

Pastor Prince shared with us his revelation of the love of God a few weeks back & I felt so blessed under his teaching. There are 3 main elements in the love of God, being the state of manifestation, the perfection & measurement of His love for us. Rom 5:5-8 [NASB], "& hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has poured within our hearts through Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; through perhaps for the good man someone dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Let us not be self occupied for inside enjoyment, look outside to Christ & the cause is on that cross with the effect, the love of God...

1 John 4:17-18 [NASB] demonstrated the perfection of God's love, "By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is so also are we in This World. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, & the one who fears is not perfected in love." God looks at Jesus not us for judgment, don't look at our circumstances beloved but trust in Christ who is our new identity. Is Christ rich? So are we in this World! Is Christ Healthy? So are we in this World! In the midst of storm, let us look at Jesus as He is above the storm Amen?! Step out of self occupation & we can step out of our pain...

The measurement of God's love? "I in them & you in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the World may know You send Me, & loved them, even as You have loved Me." John 17::23 [NASB]. "God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Sam 16:17 [NCV] We are weary of society's surface-level system, of being graded according to the inches of our waist, the square footage of our house, the color of our skin, the make of our car, the label of our clothes, the size of our office, the presence of diplomas, the absence of pimples. Don't we weary of such games?

Hard work ignored. Devotion unrewarded. The boss chooses cleavage over character. The teacher picks pet students instead of prepared ones. Parents show of their favorite sons & leave their runts out in the field. Oh, the Goliath of exclusion. Are you sick of Him? Then it's time to quit staring at him. Who cares what he, or they think? What matters is what your Maker thinks. God always see what no one else saw: a God-seeking heart! Our Father knows our heart, & because He does, He has a place reserved just for you...

Inspired By:

Pastor Prince & Max Lucado

David Vs The Giant

2007-04-02T01:28:00.000+08:00

The migration of my work from marketing real estate developments to sales & marketing took longer than I had planned for. Many asked me why I choose to do so as I am quite comfortable managing my team for project launches. Flexible working hours are good, as my younger sister requires medical consultation from time to time. She was to be admitted to hospital on the 30th of March for further medical examination, she refused, as she had an important interview for her gifted program...

Finally she managed to 'bargain' for a day care medical examination with consent of my mum. It is almost 2 years, yet there are no full diagnosis regarding her medical issue. Medical specialists were consulted from top of her head to the bottom of her toe, frustrating isn't it? I am not against doctors, in fact, I learn to pray to our Daddy in Heaven to anoint the doctor with wisdom for a clear diagnosis before we visit the medical consultants. This is indeed a year of new beginning with me especially with the change of career path & I can do all things in Christ, believing Him for His favors & blessings...

I felt like David, facing the Giant, the Goliath! Our Goliath doesn't carry sword of shield; he brandishes blades of unemployment, abandonment, sexual abuse, or depression. Our giant doesn't pace up & down the hills of Elah; he prances through our office, our bedroom, our classroom. He brings bills you can't pay, grades you can't make, people you can't please, whiskey you can't resist, pornography we can't refuse, a career we can't escape, a past we can't shake & a future we can't face...

David said to the philistine, "You come to me with a sword, as spear, & a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts. The God of armies of Israel, whom you have taunted." 1 Sam 17:45 [NASB] "...& that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver us by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord's & He will give you into our hand." 1 Sam 17:47 [NASB] Notice in the scripture, David said that he come against the enemy in the name of the Lord. He further to declare, "For the battle is the Lord's...

What a spirit of David we should adore! He came against them in the name of the Lord & boldly, he declared the battle is the Lord's. Don't let our circumstances, people, or emotion to dictate us! You might say that David knew how to get a head of his giant. When was the last time you did the same? How long since we ran toward our challenge? We tend to retreat, duck behind a desk or work or crawl into a nightclub of distraction or a bed of forbidden love. For a moment, a day, we feel safe, insulated, anesthetized, but the work runs out, the liquor wears off, or the lover leaves, & we hear Goliath again...

Try a new track! Rush to our giant with a God-saturated soul. Giant of divorce, you aren't entering my home! Gaint of depression? It may take a lifetime, but you won't conquer me. Giant of alcohol, bigotry, child abuse, insecurity...you're going down. How long since you loaded your sling & took a swing at our giant? Giants. We must face them. Yet we need not face them alone. Focus first, & most on God.

Do we ponder God's grace four times as we ponder our guilt? Is our list of blessing four times as thick as our mental file or dread? Are we four times as likely to describe the strength of God as we are the demands of our day? Focus on giants - We stumble. Focus on God - our giants tumble. Lift your eyes, giants-slayer. The God who made a miracle out of David stands ready to make one out of you...

Inspired by:

Max Lucado

Leading a Supernatural Life

2007-03-06T01:50:00.000+08:00

Pastor Prince Sermons are full of great revelation & his last Sunday sermon was awesome! It is an honor to serve the Lord through my ‘blog’, giving praise & glory to our God from His blessing, favors & delivered us out of our daily trials & tribulations. I still have heaps of work to complete but spirit prompted, I opened my Bible, a specific verse brought my attention. "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matt 6:34 [NASB] A good reminder about our complex life in the 21st century...

"Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper & be in good health, just as your soul prospers." 3 John [NASB] Isn't this clear that the Lord not only will He prospers us in All things we do, He heals to give us a good health! Let's look at another verse, "Why? Because they cannot pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. Just as it is written," Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of Stumbling & a rock of offense, And he who believes in Him will not disappointed." Romans 9:32-33 [NASB] Questions, who is the stumbling stone? The Devil...High Priest...No! No! It’s Jesus Christ our savior!

Righteousness is a gift by the sacrifice of Christ! Our body is created by God, having Spirit -Mind- Body. We come to the house of God to 'feed' on the good Gospel of Christ Jesus! Our mind will be renewed from God's words. Our mind is the deferment to our spirit being righteous. When our mind believes we are righteous by faith, transformation of life from our body will occur!

The scripture revealed 2 major keys to reign in life! Rom 5:17 [NASB] wrote, "For if the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one much more those we receive the abundance of Grace & of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” Righteousness gives life while my friend condemnation gives death. Righteousness is a gift; receive it instead of saying, "I don't deserve it". Be bold, receive & give thanks as the son of God, Christ Jesus had paid for it!

Make it your aim never to leave God's house. When we're worried about our bill, step into God's kitchen. When we feel bad about a mistake, look up at the roof. When you call on a new client, whisper a prayer as you enter the office. When we're in tense meeting, mentally step into the furnace room & pray, "Let the peace of heaven be felt on earth." When it's hard to forgive your friends, family or work mates, pull out the check of grace God has given us...

Inspired By:

Max Lucado & Pastor Prince

How Great is our God!

2007-02-21T18:06:00.000+08:00

Almost 23 days since I last pen down my last entry. What have I been doing? What have been happening? I witness the power of praying in the spirit, pastor has been preaching, I have been practicing & through His grace, I was lifted by His mighty hand from a car accident. I loved to sing & pray while I was driving from appointments. I remembered that day, there was an empty lane to my left & my immediate respond was to drive in that lane but at that spilt second, my spirit prompted & I stopped. A car behind me drove in & out of no where came a truck & smashed right into it, the impact was so great, the car spun...I was totally unharmed!

The Lord guided me about anger & rest & He said, if we are out to settle any score, we will never rest. How can we? For one thing, our enemies never pay up. As much as we think we deserve an apology, our debtor may not agree. The racist may never repent. The chauvinist may never change. As justified as we are in our quest for vengeance, we may never get a penny's worth of justice. And, if we do so, will it be enough? The Bible in Job 5:2 [Amplified Bible] says, "For vexation & rage kill the foolish man..."

A sister in Christ called me from overseas last night with great excitement! "My Mum received Christ just moments ago!" We prayed over the phone for her mum's salvation to receive preservation, healing, wholeness & prosperity! This led me to think about forgiveness. If we can attain forgiveness by forgiving others (or any other good deeds), then why do we need a Savior? If we can pay for our sins through our mercy, why did Jesus die for our sins? If salvation is a result of our effort, then why did Paul insist, "You have been saved by grace through believing. You did not save yourselves. It was a gift from God." [Eph. 2:8]. Salvation is a free gift!

This year is a year of new beginning as I need to branch out from marketing to sales. For the past few months, I tried using my own effort, enlarge my 'tent' find new business associates but it just did not work out no matter how hard I try. In fact, the harder I try, the worst it gets. I was losing my patience & asked the Lord, is it my prayer? Am I using the right words? The Lord corrected me; it's not eloquence He seeks, just honesty. I asked for a verse, He 'smacked' me with Ps. 46:10 [Amplified Bible], "Let be & be still, & know (recognize & understand) that I am God."

In the midst of our daily storms, make it a point to be still & set our sights on Him. Let God be God. Let Him bathe us in His glory so that both our breath & our troubles are sucked from our soul. Be still. Be quiet. Be open & willing. Then we will know that God is God, & we can't help but confess, "How great is our God!" Good news, the Lord just blessed me with a great brother in Christ to extend my 'tent'. He has all the talents & great passion whom I have been seeking for months...favor came when I be still.

Many amazing favors, blessing & testimonies blew me away for the past 23 days, there are times of trials, tribulation & prosecution as well, but I learn about what we really need. An Abba! Yes, an Abba who will hear when we call? Who will take our hand when we are weak? Who will guide us through the hectic intersections of life? Don't we all need an abba who will swing us up into His arms & carry us home? We all need a father...

Inspired by:

Max Lucado

Rest - Lord Give Me Strength

2007-01-28T23:01:00.000+08:00

Haven't been posting for quite awhile as I learn to rest in Christ for the past 19 days. I do not mean to rest as not posting & simply doing nothing. Strangely, I found casting my cares & worries [rest] in the Lord quite challenging. It seems like I always like to 'help' God, I will tell myself all these problems be it from work or family belong to Jesus as I trust in Him being a Child of Most High God, yet, I will think about it, try to find solutions from my flesh. I end up being confused in perfect irony. Praise the Lord, our Pastor had been preaching about rest & our identity in Christ & I keep listening to his sermons & find myself learning & I'm determined to break the strongholds of my 'nonsense' to REST...

While I was awaiting for my parents after service for dinner, I wondered into a Christian book store, pick up a card with words that comfort me. Title, "Lord, Give Me Strength". Give us your strength, Lord. Because sometimes things get tough, & we are ready to quit. Give us your love, Lord. Because people reject us, & we are tempted to hate. Give us your eyes, Lord. Because sometimes life gets dark, & we lose our way. Give us your courage, Lord. Because often we are put under pressure, & it's hard to do what is right. Give us yourself Lord. Because our hearts were made for you, & we will not rest until we rest in you. A summary of all my thoughts...How great is our God?!

Today sermon was awesome especially when Pastor Prince shared about his revelation about our identity in Christ. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Cor 5:17 [NASB] "They will say of Me, 'Only in the Lord are righteousness & strength.' Men will come to Him. And all who were angry at Him will be put to shame [e.g. the pathetic Satan]. In the Lord all the offspring’s of Israel Will be justified & will glory." Is 45:24-25 [NASB] Notice the words "In Christ, In the Lord" In Christ we engage the World with a new mindset where all things are new, being a new creation. In Christ we receive our righteousness & strength...

Jesus revealed this truth as being "I am". In John chapter 9, before Jesus healed the man born blind, the scripture wrote "While I am in the World, I am the light of the World." John 9:5 [NASB] Imagine a blind who lives in total darkness, since the day he was born, the "I am" finished the miracle! Halleluiah! We can do all things through Christ who strengthen us. In another occasion, the disciples asked for the bread of God that gives life to the world, "Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life..." John 6:35 [NASB] We ask for grace, only to find forgiveness already offered. We ask for food, only to find provision already made. We ask for guidance, only to find answers in God's ancient story...

What controls us doesn't control Him. What troubles us don’t trouble Him. What fatigue us doesn't fatigue Him. Is an eagle disturbed by traffic? No. he rises above it. Is the whale perturbed by a hurricane? Of course not, he plunges beneath. Is the lion flustered by the mouse standing directly in his way? No, he steps over it.

If He is able to place the stars in their sockets & suspend the sky like a curtain, do you think it remotely possible that God is able to guide our life? If our God is mighty enough to ignite the sun, could it be that he is mighty enough to light our path? If He cares enough about planet Saturn to give it rings or Venus to make it sparkle, is there an outside chance that He cares enough about us to meet one needs?

Inspired By:

Max Lucado & Pastor Prince

A Touch of His Presence

2007-01-09T23:45:00.000+08:00

Migraine, flu & fever kept hitting me with no good reasons & it started to roll in on early hours of both Sundays, 31st 2006 & 7th of 2007. I miss the last sermon of year 2006 but with the wonders of technology, I manage to get hold of the sermon. Satan love to steal, kill & destroy. I believe he came to steal the words of God, our foundation with our relationship with our Lord. Yet the scripture says, "'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on Every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Matt. 4:4 [NASB]

On the 7th, my migraine was so bad I have to take sleeping pills to 'knock me out'. I sent out distress message to my care group leader for prayer. In my heart, my only desire is to attend the first Sunday service in the year 2007. I do not know how I made it to the last service as I was feeling unwell & it is of quite a distance to drive from home to church. Pastor taught us to seek for the healer not the healing, Jehovah-Rapha. "The Lord that heal" If you are facing any lack, seek Jehovah-Jireh. The Lord will provide! My migraine, flu & fever subsided when the service ended. Halleluiah, we have a good God! Amen?!

Jesus came to set us fee from hell, do you believe it deeply in your heart? We know God has a will for us. 'For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare & not for calamity to give you a future & a hope.' Jer. 29:11 [NASB] God is not the God of confusion, & wherever He sees sincere seekers with confused heart, we can bet He will do whatever it takes to help us see His will.

God has given each part of the body of Christ an assignment. One way God reveals His will to you is through Church. He speaks to one member of the body through another member. It could happen in a Bible class, a small group, during communion, or during dessert. God has as many methods as He has people...

We also learn God's will by spending time in His presence. The key to knowing God's heart is having a relationship with Him. A personal relationship. God will speak to us differently than He will speak to others. Just because God spoke to Moses through a burning bush, that doesn't mean we should all sit next to the bush waiting for God to speak. God used a fish to convict Jonas. Does that mean we should have worship services at Sea World? No. God reveals His heart personally to each person.

For that reason, our walk with God is essential. His heart is not seen in an occasional chat or weekly visit. We learn His will as we take up residence in His house every single day. Walk with Him long enough & you come to know His heart. When you spend time with Him in His study, you see His passion. Welcome Him to enter the gateway of your soul & you'll perceive His will...

Want to know God's will in your life? Then answer the question: What ignites your heart? Forgotten orphans? Untouched nations? The inner city? The outer limits? Heed the fire within! Do you have a passion to sing? Then sing! Are you stirred to manage? Then manage! Do you ache for the ill? Then treat them! Do you hurt for the lost? Then teach them! What is the fire that consumes you? Mark it down: Jesus comes to set us on fire! He walks as a torch from the heart to heart, warming the cold & thawing the chilled & stirring the ashes. He was at once a Galilean wildfire & a welcome candle. He comes to purge infection & illuminate our directions...

The fire of your heart is the light of our path. Disregard it at your own expense. Fan it at your own delight. Blow it. Stir it. Nourish it. Cynics will doubt it. Those without it will mock it. But those who know it - those who know Him - will understand it. To meet the Savior is to be set aflame. To discover the flame is to discover His will. And to discover His will is to access a World like none we've ever seen...

Inspired By:

Max Lucado

Personal Computer Vs Personal Savior

2006-12-25T23:36:00.000+08:00

Had a wonderful Pre-Xmas celebration with my care group beloved brothers & sisters in Christ. We had Pot luck kinda party where we each bring our best food to the table. I brought along a platter of fruits & a bowl of chocolate fondae, complimentary done by my younger sister, idea inspired by a sister in Christ, imagine chocolate with strawberry or Kiwi! The bad news is we over heated the chocolate in the microwave oven...so much so for the excitement!

We have a mass service on Sunday at Singapore Indoor Stadium for an English combine service as by the grace of God, the church is growing in an amazing speed, estimated to be at least fourteen thousand believers. Pastor preach about the secret to receive miracles, in short, believe in your heart, confess with your mouth & All things will come to a past!

He re-enforce the promises in Deuteronomy 28 where we are Bless with our basket , Bless shall we be when we come in, & Blessed shall we be when we go out. The Lord shall cause our enemies who rise up against us to be defeated before us; they will come out against us one way & will flee before us seven ways. We shall lend but not borrow. The Lord will make us the head & not the tail, & we only will be above, & will not be underneath! Amen?!

Let's talk about computers, our gateway to Internet access that leads us globally. Computers are a legalist, impersonal pragmatists. Push a button & get a response. Learn the system & get the printout. Blow the system & get ready for a long night. Computers are heartless creatures. Don't expect any compassion from your laptop. They don't call it a had disk for nothing. Some folks have a computer theology when it comes to understand God. God is the ultimate desktop. The Bible is the maintenance manual, the Holy Spirit is the CD & Jesus is the 1800- service number.

Call it computerized Christianity. Push the right buttons, enter the right code, insert the correct data & bingo, print out your own salvation. It's professional religion. We do our part & the Divine Computer does his. No need to pray . No emotional attachment necessary. And worship?. No kneeling. No weeping. No gratitude. No emotion. It's great-unless you make a mistake. Unless you err. Unless we enter then wrong data or forgot to save the manuscript. Unless we're caught on the wrong data or forget to save the manuscript. Unless we're caught on the wrong side of power surge. And then...tough luck, buddy, we're on our own.

Religion by computer. That's what happen when we replace the living God with a cold system; we replace inestimable love with pro-form budget; we replace the ultimate sacrifice of Christ with the puny achievements of man. When we view God as a computer & the Christian as a number-crunching, cursor-commanding, button pusher...that is religion by the computer. God hates it. It crushes His people. It contaminates His leaders, it corrupts His children. How do I know? He said so. Jesus condemns religion by the rules. With eyes blazing & pistols firing. Jesus rips hole after hole in the hot-air balloon of the Pharisees...

A person is made right with God through...Being good. A person is made right with God through goodness. Pay our taxes. Give sandwiches to the poor. Don't drive too fast or drink too much or drink at all. Christian conduct-that's the secret. Suffering. There's the answer. That's how to be made right with God-suffer. Sleep on dirt floors. Stalk through dank jungles. Malaria. Poverty. Cold days. Night-ling vigils. Vows of chastity. Saved heads, bare feet. The greater the pain, the greater the Saint...

No, no, no. The way to made right with God? All of above are tried. All are taught. All are demonstrated. But none are from God. In fact, that is our problem. None from God. All are from people. Think about it. Who is the major force in the above examples? Humankind or God? Who does the saving we or Him? If we are saved by good works, we don't need God-weekly reminders of the do's & don'ts will get us to heaven. If we are saved by suffering, we certainly don't need God. All we need is a whip & a chain & the gospel of guilt. If we are saved by doctrine then, for heaven's sake, let's study! We don't need God, we need a lexicon. Weigh the issues. Explore the options. Decipher the truth...

But be careful, student. For if we are saved by having exact doctrine, then one mistake would be fatal. That goes for those who believe we are made right with God through deeds. I hope the temptation is never greater than the strength. If it is, a bad fall could be a bad omen. And those we think we are saved by suffering, take caution as well, for we never know how much suffering is required. In fact, if we are saving yourself, you never know for sure about anything. We never know if we've hurt enough, wept enough or learned enough. Such is the result of computerized religion: fear, insecurity, instability. And most ironically, arrogance, making ourselves righteous without God.

That's right-arrogance. The insecure boast the most. Those who are trying to save themselves promote themselves. Those saved by work display works. Those saved by suffering unveil scars. Those saved by emotion flash their feelings. Dare we stand before God & ask Him to save us because of our suffering or sacrifice or our tears or our study? I dare not. "A person is made right with God through faith." Romance 3:28 Not through good works, suffering or study. All these may be the result of salvation but they are not the cause of it. How will we escape from God's judgment? Only one way. Through faith in God's sacrifice, His only beloved son, Jesus Christ. It's not what we do; it's what He did.

A personal computer would be different. In fact it wouldn't be a computer; it would be a friend. A friend who gives us what we need instead of what we request. A friend who knows more about us that we do. A friend who doesn't have to be turned off at night & on in the morning. A computer like that? Too much to ask, I know. A God like that? Still too much to ask. But that's what He is. Why else do you think He is known as our personal Savior?

Inspired by:

Max Lucado

The Fig Tree or the X'mas Tree?

2006-12-17T21:41:00.000+08:00

The washing machine was washing as usual when I step near to enter the bath room for my shower after a late night work. My leg lost the grip on the floor & I fell as mum forgot to put the pipe in the drainage & the floor was flooding with liquid soap. The next moment, I was on the floor feeling great pain on my right ankle, in no time it swell & I shouted to my Dad for an ice bag. I applied the ice bag on my ankle before I bandage tightly applying simple first aid learning...

A sister in Christ who had worst experience calmed me down for that night. X-ray showed hairline fracture & the swelling was caused by the sprained. I refused to look at the X-ray film, telling myself not to look at my own flesh but the perfect work on the cross. As I refused to be admitted for observation & being in cast, the doctor ordered for a review on the next day, 14th of December, 2006.

16th of December was my much awaited Christmas celebration with the new care group, to fellowship with beloved brothers & sisters in Christ. I would not be able to attend if I am put on cast or hospitalized & it will be a dreadful Christmas & the worst New Year to come. I applied ice therapy through the 13th & 14th, pray in spirit & focus my pain & swelling on the old rugged cross. In the evening of 14th for review, a second X-ray was taken.

The first question of all was, "What did you do Godwyn with your ankle?" I told the doctor I prayed & applied ice therapy as I have no medical knowledge beyond that. I experience Divine healing, as I look at the first X-ray in comparison with the second, my ankle was completely healed! Halleluiah! I remembered in Matthew 21:21, it says in short, if you have faith, it will happen...

Our God wrote the book on making the impossible possible! In the scripture, it said, Jesus saw a fig tree on the side of the road. As He approached the tree, He noticed that though it had leaves, it had no fruit. So He denounced the tree. "You will never have fruit." The tree immediately dried up. The next day, the disciples saw what had happened to the tree. They were amazed. Just twenty-four hours before the tree had been green & healthy; now it is barren & dry...

"How did the fig tree dry up so quickly? They asked. Jesus gives them this answer," Truly I say to you, if you have faith & do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up & cast to the sea,' it will happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." Matt 21:21-22 [NASB]

That is the way God intended it. He intends for all of us to live out our vows but with our own particular accent. For some, it is with an accent on the sick. For others, it is a concern for the imprisoned. Still others have a burden for scholarly research or giving. But whatever our accent the message is still the same.

The message of the fig tree is not for all of us to have the same fruit. The message is for us to have some fruits. Not easy. Jesus knows that. "If you have faith & do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to this tree & even more." Faith in whom? Religion? Hardly. Religion is the hoax Jesus is out to disclose. Faith is not in religion; the faith is in God. A hardly, daring faith that believes God will do what is right, every time. And that God will do what it takes-whatever it takes-to bring His children home.

He is the shepherd in search of His lambs. His legs are scratched, His feet are sore & His eyes are burning. He scales the cliffs & traverses the fields. He explores the caves. He cups His hands to His mouth & calls into the canyon. And the name He calls is yours! God is the father pacing the porch. His eyes are wide with His quest. His heart is heavy. He seeks His prodigal. He searches the horizon.

He examines the skyline, yearning for the familiar figure, the recognizable gait. His concern is not His business, His investments, His owning. His concern is the son who wears His name, the child who bears His image. YOU. He wants you home. It is only in the light of such passion we can understand this incredible promise: "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." Matt 21:22 [NASB]

The fruit God assures is far greater than earthly wealth. His dreams are much greater than promotions & proposals. God wants you to fly. He wants you to fly free of yesterday's guilt. He wants you to fly free of today's fears. He wants you to fly free of tomorrow's grave. Sin, fear & death. These are the mountains He had moved. These are the prayers He will answer. That is the fruit He will grant. This is what He longs to do: He longs to set you free so you can fly...fly home!

Inspired By:

Max Lucado

Excuse me, are you a Christian?

2006-12-05T23:59:00.000+08:00

I will never abandon my blog neither I will forsake it, as faith comes from the listening/reading of the good gospel of Christ Jesus. Amen? Blogging allows me to fellowship with brothers & sisters in Christ from the World! I feed on the words & share as I believe Right believing produce Right living...sharing is loving as God is love...

Godwyn, how do you explain your sudden halt? Many medical issues had arose during past few weeks & my workload sank me down like the Tiatanic. I had two day surgeries done for my tootache, the surgeon did a Root Canal procedure. As my gums are truely sensitive, it took long while to stop the bleeding.

It was a highly painful event I doubt I will not forget. Things got more challenging with bad news that my Godpa's elder brother passed away peacefully with cancer on Friday morning. The next is the wake, sorrow & grief. Recent days fixing of my ingrowing toe nails make me limp daily to walk...these are the days. Daily, I told myself to put my eyes on the Perfect Finished work on the cross & looked away from my own flesh...it works as Christ always heal...

I'm not a religious person, I just believe in our relationship with our Abba in Heaven. When we think God is too busy for little people like us or too formal for poor protocol. When people are refused access to Christ by those cloest to him, the result is empty, hollow religion. Ugly religion!

God always hears those who seek him. The right heart with the wrong ritual is better than the wrong heart with the right ritual. Ideally, we approach God with the right motive & the right method. And sometimes we do. Sometimes the words of our prayer are as beautiful as the motive behind the prayer. Sometimes the way we sing is as strong as the reason we sing.

Sometimes our worship is an attractive as it is sincere. But many times it isn't. Many times our words falter. Many times our music suffers. Many times our worship is less than what we want it to be. Many times our appeals for God's presence are about as attractive as those of blind men on the Road. "You will seek Me, & find Me when you search for Me, with all your heart. I will be found by you." Jer.29:13 [NASB]

Ironic. of all the people, the blind turned out to be the ones with the clearest vision - even before they could see...

Inspired by:

Max Lucado

Our Father who is in Heaven

2006-11-19T23:16:00.000+08:00

Toothache, heavy work load & much more are my lousy excuses for not blogging. I have been wondering about issues I cannot solve & reminding myself to let go let God. I am just confuse & trying to rob myself of great joy by going back to the bitter past. Some called it spiritual warfare, others might define it as habits...anyway manage to draft up a post before church service today for sharing as I miss all of you!

"Our father who is in heaven." God is. Not God was. Not God will be. Not God could be or should be, but God is. He is the God of the present tense. When we come to Christ, God not only forgives us, He also adopts us. Through a dramatic series of events, we go from condemned orphans with no hope to adopted children with no fear. Here is how it happens. We come before the judgment seat of God full of rebellion & mistakes. Because of His justice He cannot dismiss our sin, but because of His love he cannot dismiss us. So, in an act which stunned the heavens, He punished Himself on the cross for our sins. God's justice & love are equally honored. And we, God's creation, are forgiven. But the story doesn't end with God's forgiveness...

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God. Rom. 8:15-16 [NASB]

It would be enough if God just cleansed our name, but He does more. He gives us His name. It would be enough if God just set us free, but He does more. He takes us home. He takes us home to the Great House of God. God has adopted us. God sought us, found us, signed the papers & took us home...believe it or not, He did...

Our achievements, however noble they may be, are not important. Our credentials, as starry as they may be, are of no concern. God is the foundation of our life. The key question in life is not "How strong am I?" but rather "How strong is God?" Focus on His strength, not ours. Occupy ourselves with the nature of God...

And we though God adopted us because we were good looking. We thought He needed our money or our wisdom. Sorry. God adopted us simply because He wanted to. We were in His good will and pleasure. Knowing full well the trouble we would be & the price He would pay, He signed His name next to ours and changed our name to His and took us home. Our Abba adopted us & became our Father...

To some, the thought of trusting a Heavenly Father is doubly difficult because our earthly father might have disappointed us or mistreated us. If such is the case, I urge you: Don't confuse your Heavenly Father with the fathers you've seen on earth. Your Father in Heaven isn't prone to headaches & temper tantrums. He doesn't hold us one day & hit us the next. The man who fathered us may play such games, but the God who loves us never will...

May I remind you, this adoption is something we receive, not something we earn...

Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the World will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. 8:38-39

Our Father will never turn us away. When the words of others hurt you or your own failure distress you, step in the house of God. Gaze at this painting & be reminded of our God: It is right to call Him Holy; we speak truth when we call Him King. But if we want to touch His heart, use the name He loves to hear. Call Him Father...Daddy

Inspired by:

Max Lucado

In love with you...

2006-10-25T17:26:00.000+08:00

Isn't it good to know that even when we don't love with a perfect love, Jesus does? Flat out from work but on my book mark it wrote: But seek first His kingdom & His righteousness, & ALL these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 Just blog on, leave the work for just a moment...

When it comes to love, feeling rule the day. Emotions guide the ship. Goose bumps call the shots. But should they? Can feelings be trusted? Can a relationship feel right but be wrong? Heads are nodding. A single mum is nodding. A college kid with a broken heart is nodding. Feelings can fool you. Teenage girl who is puzzled by the lack of feelings she has for a guy. Before they started dating, she was wild about him. The minute he showed interest in her, however she lost interest...ever been there?

"Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth" 1 Cor. 13:6 [NIV] In this verse lies a test for love. Do I encourage this person to do what is right? For true love "takes no pleasure in other people's sins but delights in the truth" 1 Cor. 13:6 [JB]. If you find yourself prompting evil in others, heed the alarm. This is not love. And if others prompt evil in you, be alert. Check the room key.

Classic example. A young couple are on a date. His affection goes beyond her comfort zone. She resists. But he tries to persuade her with the oldest line in the book: "But I love you. I just want to be near you. If you loved me..." That siren you hear? It's the phony-love detector. This guy doesn't love her. He may love having sex with her. He may love her body. He may love boasting to his buddies about his conquest. But he doesn't love her. True love will never ask the "beloved" to do what her or she thinks is wrong. Love doesn't tear down the conviction of others. Quite contrary. "Love builds up" 1 Cor. 8:1 "Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light & will not cause anyone to stumble" 1 John 2:10

Love never celebrates misfortune. You know your love is real when you weep with those who weep & rejoice with those who rejoice. You know your love is real when you feel for others. Real love changes people. Didn't God's love change you? Weren't you, like the prisoner, blind? You couldn't see beyond the grave. You couldn't see your purpose in life until He showed you. And you couldn't hear either. Oh, your ears functioned but, your heart didn't understand. You'd never heard of such love & kindness, & you never would have heard of it, but God spoke in your language. And, most of all, He set you free. You are free! Free to run away. Free to harden your heart. Free to duck down side streets & hide behind trash cans. But you don't. Or if you do, you come back. Why? Because you've never been loved like this before...

And does Christ rejoice when you do what is right? Certainly. "The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love" Psalm 147:11 [NIV] Does He weep when you do? Absolutely! He is the "God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times 2 Cor. 1:3-4 [MSG]. Do you want to know what love is? "This is what real love is: It is not our love for God; it is God's love for us in sending his Son to be the way to take away our sins" 1 John 4:10 Isn't that good news?!!

When it comes to love:

Be careful: Make sure you're in the right hotel. Before you walk down the aisle, take a good long look around. Make sure this is God's intended place for you. And, if you suspect it isn't, get out. Don't force what is wrong to be right. And until love is stirred, let God's love be enough for you. There are seasons when God allows us to feel the frailty of human love so we'll appreciate the strength of His love. David wrote these words in the desert: "Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you...My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods." Psalm 63:3,5 [NIV]

Be prayerful: What if it's too late? Specifically, what if we're married to someone we don't love - or who doesn't love us? Many choose to leave. That may be the step you take. But if it is, take at least a thousand others first. And bathe every one of those steps in prayer. Love is a fruit of the Spirit. Ask Christ to help you love as He loves. "God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with His love" Roman 5:5 [CEV]. Ask everyone you know to pray for you. Your friends. Your family. Your church leaders. Get your name on every prayer list available. And, most of all, pray for &, if possible, with your spouse. Ask the same God who raised the dead to resurrect the embers of your love.

Be grateful: Be grateful to those who love us. Be grateful for those who have encouraged us to do what is right & applauded when we did. Do you have people like that in your World? If so, you are doubly blessed. Be grateful for them. And be grateful for our Father in Heaven. He passes the test with ease.

Christ always nourishes what is right. He always applauds what is right. He has never done wrong, led one person to do wrong, or rejoiced when anyone did wrong. For He is love, & love "does not rejoiced when anyone did wrong. For He is love, love "does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. 1 Cor. 1:6 [NASB].

Inspired by:

Max Lucado & a dear sister in Christ

H2O vs. Jesus Love

2006-10-13T00:15:00.000+08:00

H2O the Chemical representation for Water. No one really know how much water is there on earth. We use it, depend upon it, would perish without it...but measure it? We can't. Ever thought about it before you drink a glass of water...

H2O bring to mind another unmeasured pool? It might. Not a pool of water but a pool of love. God's love. Aquifer fresh. Pure as April snow. One swallow slackens the thirsty throat & softens the crusty heart. Immerse a life in God's love, & watch it emerge cleansed & changed. We know the impact of God's love. But the volume? No person has ever measured it. I failed to measure it during my recent weeks of trials where Christ embraces me with His love daily...

Want to see the size of God's love? "Ascend the winding path outside of Jerusalem. Follow the dots of bloody dirt until you crest the hill. Before look up, pause & hear me whisper, "This is how much I love you."

Whip-ripped muscles drape His back. Blood rivulets over His face. His eyes & lips are swollen shut. Pain rages at wildfire intensity. As He sinks to relieve the agony of His legs, His airway closes. At the edge of suffocation, He shoves pierced muscles against the spike & inches up the cross. He does this for hours. Painfully up & down until His strength & our doubts are gone...

Does God love you? Behold the cross & behold your answer. God the Son died for you. Who could have imagined such a gift? The though that Abba in Heaven will give anything moved me daily from fear to joy. I pray for Christ's ways to be in me daily. "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; & walk in love, just as Christ also loved you & gave Himself up for us, an offering & a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." Eph 5:2 [NASB] What species of devotion is this? Find the answer under the category "unfailing". The holiness of God demanded a sinless sacrifice, & the only sinless sacrifice was God & the Son. And since God's love never fails to pay the price, Christ did. God loves you with an unfailing love...

What would lead God to do something greater? Love. Trace the greatest action of God to the greatest attribute of God - His love. "It's not about me." If it's not about me, does God care for me? God's priority is His glory. He occupies center stage; I carry props. He's the message; I'm but a word of His love? No doubt. Do you really want the World to revolve around you? If it's all about you, then it's all up to you. Your Daddy rescues you from such a burden. While you are valuable, you aren't essential. You're important but no indispensable. Still don't think that's good news?

Our Father knows our limitations. He's well aware of our weaknesses. You can no more die for your own sins than you can solve World hunger. And, according to Him, that's fine. The World doesn't reply on us, yet God loves us too much to say it's all about you. He keeps the cosmos humming. We sprinkle sawdust on oil spots & thank Him for the privilege. We don't know what it takes to run the World, & wise are we who leave the work to His hands. To say that "It's not about you" is not to say you aren't loved; quite contrary. It's because Abba loves us that it's not about us!

And, oh, what a love this is. It's "too wonderful to be measured" Eph 3:19 [CEV] But though we cannot measure it, may I urge you to trust it? Some of us are so hungry for such love. Those who should have loved you didn't. Those who could have loved you wouldn't. We were left at the hospital. Left at the altar. Left with an empty bed. Left with a broken heart. Left with your question, "Does anybody love me?" Please listen to heaven's answer. As you ponder Him on the cross, hear Jesus assure, "I do". Amen?!

When it comes to water, we'll find the limit. But when it comes to His love. We never will...

Inspired by:

Max Lucado

The Tongue Is a Fire

2006-10-01T23:37:00.000+08:00

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have it's perfect result, so that you may be perfect & complete, lacking nothing." James 1:2-3 [NASB] For the past few weeks, our family have been encountering various trials after my younger sister was discharged from the hospital, I watched her going through painful medical tests, I felt deeply hurt in my heart, though I put up a strong face. The doctor will review her, this coming Tuesday, 3rd of October, pray with us for the good news that we expect to hear & thank all of you for the prayers that comfort us through...

I never thought I will be unwell but near to 2 weeks ago, out of a sudden night, I went on high fever & flu. The physician diagnosed me as viral flu, kept me at very high dose of anti-biotic. I went back to the same physician twice with really bad tummy pain & I was diagnosed with Viral & Stomach flu that takes 2 to even 4 weeks to recover. Problems arise from work, I have to bear with my pain to bring my sister for medical checkups, and I would say it is one of the biggest trials I endured so far this year. The stomach flu, viral infection, my sister complex medical conditions are simply pure deceptions of satan as in the book of James, we are promised, endurance have it's perfect result, so that we may be perfect & complete, lacking nothing! No medical! No financial lack! Complete as Jesus said it is finished! Amen?!

I want to share a short testimony surely it will bless you: I was fellowshipping with a sister in Christ over a conversation. I can't clearly remembered how we hit on the topics on installing air-conditioners at home as Singapore is a hot & humid country, her mum objected it for years as she thought the condensing unit for the air-conditioners will be near her room, the noise will affect her. We pray about it and a few days later, her mum actually suggested getting air conditioner units for the house! Halleluiah! When we speak, Jesus is in our midst as He said when two or more are gathered, my presence will be felt! It is written in the Bible as well, when two shall agrees, it shall happen on earth as it is in Heaven. Godwyn, so what's the big deal? The 'big deal': our God we serve is a good God who can do the impossible! If you are praying, pray big as we are children of most high God, Jesus will make it happen, at the right time, right place...Amen?!

Let's go into the words of God. Remember the two criminals on the cross with Jesus? One of them punches on Christ: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself & us!" The words thrown that day were meant to wound. And there is nothing more painful than words meant to hurt. That is why James called the tongue the fire. Its burns are every bit as destructive & disastrous as those of a blow touch. I'm not telling you anything new. No doubt you've had your fair share of words that wound. Perhaps the words were intended to hurt you, perhaps not; but that doesn't matter. The wound is deep. The injuries are internal. broken heart, wounded pride, bruised feelings.

Or it maybe your wound is old. Though the arrow was extracted long ago, the arrowhead is still lodged...hidden under your skin. The old pain flares unpredictably & decisively, reminding you of harsh words yet forgiven. If you have suffered or are suffering because of someone else's words, you'll be glad to know that there is a balm for this laceration. Meditate on Words from 1 Peter 2:23

When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; When He suffered, He made no threats, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.

Did you see what Jesus did not do? He did not retaliate. He did not bite back. He did not say, "I'll get you" "come on up here & say that to my face!" "Just wait until resurrection, Buddy!" No, these statements were not found on Christ's lips. Did you see What Jesus did do? He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. Or said more simply, He left the judging to God. He did not take on the task of seeking revenge. He demanded no apology. He hired no bounty hunters & sent out no posse. He, to the astounding contrary, spoke on their defense. "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing"...

Yes, the dialogue that Friday morning was bitter. The verbal stones meant to sting. How Jesus, with a body wracked with pain, eyes blinded by His own blood, & lungs yearning for air, could speak on behalf of some heartless thus is beyond my comprehension. Never, never have I seen such love. If ever a person deserved a shot at revenge, Jesus did. But He didn't take it. Instead He died for them. How could He do it? I don't know. But I do know that all of a sudden my wounds seem very painless. My grudges & hard feelings are suddenly childish...

Sometimes I wonder if we don't see Christ's love as much in the people He tolerated as in the pain He endured. Amazing Grace...

Inspired by:

Max Lucado

Wilderness

2006-09-11T01:49:00.000+08:00

Sister was discharged, not because she is well, she feared staying in the hospital [at a young age, I can understand]. Thus, medical procedures are being arranged in this month for out-patient medical procedures. I just pray with perfect love, it casts out fear. She was diagnosed with possible periodic paralysis with history of laparoscopic adhesiolysis & appendicectomy...

My Godpa who is a doctor, never was sick till such extreme was admitted to the hospital with the ambulance last Wednesday morning collapsing at home, before he could visit his patients, how ironic isn't it? He is very dear to me, in fact I am closer to him than my Dad. Physicians did all kinds of test, believe he might have suffered Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) that might lead to a stroke if not treated with care. Discharged on Saturday morning, with prayers, medication & a good rest, he will be well but he has yet willingly to pray the Salvation prayer...I'm trying. For the weeks, I keep telling myself daily I can do all things through Christ! Indeed, it is finished...

Grief can lead you into the desert. So can divorce or debt or depression. Been through transitions lately? A transfer? Job promotion? Job demotion? A new house? If so, be wary. The wilderness might be near. How do you know when you're in one? You are lonely. Whether in fact or in feeling no one can help, understand or rescue you. And your struggle seems endless. In the Bible the number 40 is associated with lengthy battles. Noah faced the rain for 40 days. Moses faced the desert for 40 days. Jesus faced temptation for 40 nights. Please note, He didn't face temptation for 1 day out of 40. "Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days, being tempted by the devil" The battle wasn't limited to 3 questions. Jesus spends a month & ten days slugging it out with satan. The wilderness is a long, lonely winter...

A tough marriage can make a good man look twice at the wrong woman. Extended sickness can makes even the stoutest soul consider suicide. Stress makes the smokiest nightclub smell sweet. The wilderness weakens resolve. For that reason, the wilderness is in the maternity ward for addictions. Binge eating, budget-busting gamble, excessive drinking, pornography - all short-term solutions to deep-seated problems. Typically they have no appeal, but in the wilderness you give thought to the unthinkable....

Second Adam has come to succeed where the first Adam failed. Jesus however, faces a test more severe. Adam was tested in a garden; Christ is in a stark wasteland. Adam faced satan on a full stomach; Christ is in the midst of a fast. Adam had a companion: Eve. Christ has no one. Adam was challenged to remain sinless in a sinless World. Christ, on the other hand, is challenged to remain sinless in a sin-ridden World. Trust His word. Don't trust your emotions. In the wilderness heed only the voice of God...

Again, Jesus is our model. Remember how satan teased Him? "If you are the Son of God..."[Luke 4:3,9 NCV] Why would satan say this? Because he knew what Christ had heard at the baptism. "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased [Matt. 3:17] "Are you really God's son? Satan is asking. Then comes the dare - "Prove it!" Prove it by doing something: "Tell the stone to become bread" [Luke 4:3] "If you worship before me, it shall all be Yours" [v.7] "Throw yourself down from here" [v.9]

What a subtle seduction! Satan doesn't denounce God; he simply raises doubts about God. [Ever caught in one?] Is His work enough? Earthly works - like bread changing or temple jumping - are given equal billing with heavenly works. He attempts to shift, ever so gradually, our source of confidence away from God's promise & toward our performance. Jesus doesn't bite the bait. No heavenly sign is requested. He doesn't solicit a lightning bolt; He simply quotes the Bible. 3 Temptations. 3 Declarations. "It is written..." [v.4 NCV]. "It is written..." [v. 8 NCV]. It is said... [v.12]

Jesus' survival choice is Scripture. If the Bible was enough for His wilderness, shouldn't it be enough for ours? Don't miss the point here. Everything you & I need for dessert survival is in the Book. We simply need to heed it. "God is...higher than the heaven." [Job 22:12 TLB]. "The LORD is high above all nations" [Ps 113:4]. Can He not see what eludes us? Doesn't He wants to get us out & bring us home? Then we should do what Jesus did. Rely on the Scripture. Doubt your doubts before you doubt your beliefs. God is constantly & aggressively communicating with the World through His word. God is speaking still!

Hang in there. Your time in the desert will pass. Jesus' did. "The devil left Him; & behold, angels came & began to minister to Him" [Matt. 4:11] Till the angels come to you:

Trust His word - We need a voice to lead us out.
Trust His work - We need a friend like Jesus to take our place.

Thank God we have One who will. My wilderness in these 16 days, I survive with "I can do all things through Christ". So can you...

Inspired by:

Max Lucado

Loneliness

2006-08-27T22:35:00.000+08:00

Loneliness, a word familiar to us and many has endured. I read an interesting material by Max Lucado that reflects my 17 years wondering in the wilderness though I accept Christ at a young age of 13. I never have any relationship with Jesus till I hit rock bottom 3 years ago. Here the story goes...

Godwyn's struggles weren't unusual. He was the paragon of the confused human being. Half of his life was fantasy, half was nightmare. He was not a social outcast. He was respectable. He hosted parties. He wore designer clothes & had an apartment that overlooked a World class casino. Though surrounded by people, he was on an island. Though he had many acquaintances, he had few friends. Though he has many lovers, he had little love. Godwyn felt so old. Unloved. Unwanted. Abandoned. Used up. He wants to cry & sleep forever...

Loneliness. It's a cry. A moan, a wail. It's a gasp whose origin is the recessed of our souls. Can you hear it? The abandoned child. The divorcee. The quiet home. The empty mailbox. The long days. The longer nights. A one-night stand. A forgotten birthday. A silent mobile phone. Cries of loneliness. Listen again. Tune out the traffic & turn down the TV. The cry is here. Our cities are full of Godwyns. You can hear their cries. You can hear them in the convalescent home among the sighs & the shuffling feet. You can hear them in the prisons among the moans of shame & the calls for mercy.

This moan is a minor key knows all spectrums of society. From the top to the bottom. From the failures to the famous. From the poor to the rich. From the married to the single. Godwyn was not alone. Many of you have been spared this cruel cry. Oh, you have been homesick or upset a time or two. But despair? Far from it. Suicide? Of course not. Be thankful that it hasn't knocked on your door. Pray that it never will. If you have yet to fight this battle, you are welcome to read on if you wish, but I'm really writing to someone else...

I am writing to those who know this cry firsthand. I'm writing to those of you whose days are book ended with broken hearts and long evenings. I am writing to those of you who can find a lonely person simply by looking in the mirror. For you, loneliness is a way of life. The sleepless nights. The lonely bed. The distrust. The fear of tomorrow. The unending hurt. When did it begin? In your childhood? At the divorce? At retirement? At the cemetery? When the kinds left home?

None knows that you are lonely. On the outside you are packaged perfectly. Your smile is quick. Your job is stable. Your clothes are sharp. Your waist is thin. Your calendar is full. Your walk brisk. Your talk impressive. But when you look into the mirror, you fool no one. When you are alone, the duplicity ceases & the pain surfaces...

The most gut-wrenching cry of loneliness in history came not from a prisoner or a widow or a patient or Godwyn. It came from a hill, from a cross, from a Messiah. "My God, my God," He screamed, "Why did you abandon me!" Never have words carried so much hurt. Never has one being been so lonely. And now on Skull's hill, the sin bearer is again alone. Every lie ever told, every object ever converted, every promise ever broken is on His shoulders. He is sin...

God looks away. The despair is darker than the sky. The two have been one are now two. Jesus, who had been with God for eternity is now alone. The Christ, who was an expression of God, is abandoned. The Trinity is dismantled. The Godhead is disjointed. The unity is dissolved. It is more Jesus can take. He withstood the beatings & remained strong at the mock trials. He watched in silence as those He loved ran away. He did not retaliate when the insults were hurled nor did He scream when the nails pierced His wrists. But when God turned His head, that was more than He could handle.

"My God!" The wail rises from parched lips. The holy heart is broken. The sin bearer screams as He wanders in the eternal wasteland. Out of the silent sky come the words screamed by all who walk in the desert of loneliness. "Why? Why did you abandon me?" Sounds familiar some how? I can't understand it. I honestly cannot. Why did Jesus do it? Oh, I know, I know. I have heard the official answers. "To gratify the old law." "To fulfill prophecy." And these answers are right. They are. But there is something more here. Something very compassionate. Something yearning. Something personal...

I kept thinking of all the people who cast despairing eyes toward the dark heavens & cry "Why?" And I imagine Him I imagine Him listening. I picture His eyes misting & a pierced hand brushing away a tear. And although He may offer no answer, although He may solve no dilemma, although the question may freeze painfully in midair, He who also was once alone, understands.

Yet know this, Christ did this so that He can say, "I will never desert you nor will I ever forsake you!" Heb 13:5 [NASB] "I am the same yesterday & today forever!" Heb 13:8 [NASB]

P:S Please Pray With Us [29 August 2006]

My younger sister, Joyce had been admitted to the hospital [Doctor said it might take at least one week or more to diagnose], for her long-standing problems that many doctors could not diagnose.

She is at a gentle age of 16 but had gone through innumerable pain at various medical Institutions. Please pray for the Lord's wisdom to be anointed with the doctors examining her, in receipt of the cause of the medical issue, unravel her misery once & for all.

The fact: She was hospitalized. The Truth: The Lord had healed her on the cross! Amen?!

In 1st John 4:17 [NASB] says, "...He is, so also are we in this World." Jesus is perfectly well, so also is Joyce [We] in this World! Amen?!

Inspired By:

Max Lucado

Abandoned

2006-08-16T00:53:00.000+08:00

The week before where I was down with gastric flu, I felt 'abandoned' as no one was at home. Parents were off for functions & my siblings were busy with their church activities. The complete quietness was deafening...

Abandoned by family? Abandoned by a spouse? Abandoned by big business. But nothing compares to being abandoned by God. On the Cross, Jesus cried out a loud shout, "Eli Eli, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "My God my God Why Have You Forsaken me?" [Matt 27:46 NASB] Our Father in Heaven abandoned His Only Son [Earth's only sinless soul] so that we can live through eternity! God loves sinners but hate sins, thus Jesus was the only way out for our salvation! Oh how Great is our God Amen?!

Abandon. The house that no one wants. The child no one claims. The parent no one remembers. The Savior no one understands. He pierces the darkness with heaven's loneliest question: "My God, My God, Why did you abandon me?"

In this hour Jesus is anything but righteous. But His mistakes aren't His own. "Christ carried our sins in his body on the cross so we would stop living for sin & start living for what is right" [1 Peter 2:25 NCV] Christ called all our sins in His body...

May I get specific for a moment? May I talk about sin? Dare I remind you & me our past is laced with outbursts of anger, stained with night of godless passion, & spotted with undiluted greed? Suppose your past was made public? Suppose you were to stand on a stage while a film of every secret & selfish second was projected on the screen behind you?

Would you not crawl beneath the rug? Would you not scream for Heavens to have mercy? And would you not feel just a fraction...just a fraction of what Jesus felt on the cross? The icey displeasure of Sin-Hating God?

Jesus carried all our sins in His body...See Jesus on the cross? That's a gossiper hanging there. See Jesus? Embezzler. Liar. Bigot. See the crucified carpenter? He's a wife Beater. Porn addict & murderer. See Bethlehem's boy? Call Him by His other names - Adolf Hitler, Osama bin Laden. Hold it Godwyn, Don't you lump Jesus with evildoers. Don't you place His name in the same sentence with theirs! I didn't. He did. Indeed He did more. More than place His name in same sentence, He placed Himself in their place. And yours...

With hands nailed open, He invited Jesus,” Threat me as you would treat them!" And God did. In an act that broke the heart of the Father, yet honored the holiness of Heaven, sin-purging judgment flow over the sinless Son of the ages. The lamb of God who took away the sin of the World...

"My God, my God, why did you abandon me?" Why did Christ scream those words? So we'll never have to.

Inspired by:

Max Lucado

Mattew 6

2006-08-05T17:17:00.000+08:00

For days, I rest in pain being diagnosed firstly having irritable bowel, with a second review from the doctor that I am suffering from gastric flu. Quiet time with the Lord daily is my main source of enduring the physical pain while I have heaps to share but the pain kept me away from writing my new entry...it's not about me but all about Jesus as without Him, I am just an empty vessel that makes the most noise...

Since the start of the day, Matthew 6:33 kept echoing in my mind, "But seek [aim at & strive after] first of all His kingdom & His righteousness [His way of doing & being right], & then all these things taken together will be given you besides.]" Matt 6:33 [Amplified Bible] The Lord said, Seek me first, I will give you all you need! Halleluiah! The next line read, "So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow for tomorrow will have worries & anxieties of it's own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble." Matt 6:34 [Amplified Bible] I have been worrying about everything from family, friends to work. Yet the Lord said, Not to worry as we are the Children of Most High God Amen?! A good God who loves us not to base upon our obedience but the Grace of His son, Christ Jesus...

"Christ in you the hope of glory". "In that day you will know that I am in my father & you in Me, & I in you." John 14:20 NASB The Lord says, "I am" & that is the mystery of the gospel of...Christ Jesus

Jesus is in you & me! Christ is the force in you, & He will do what you cannot! Can't stop drinking? Christ can. And He lives within you. Can't stop worrying? Christ can. And He lives within you. Can't stop forgive the jerk, forget the past, or forsake your bad habits? Christ can! And He lives within you...With Christ in you, you have a million resources that you did not have before!

Through my short episode of physical trial, I realize one thing, God seems less interested in talent and more interested in trust. When we assist or resist, we miss God's great grace. We miss out the reason we were placed on earth. "I have been crucified with Christ; & it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; & the life which I now live in flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me & gave Himself up for me." Gal 2:20 [NASB]

My steps, but Christ leading. My heart, but His love beating in me, through me, with me. So much Him, so little of me that in my eyes it's Him they see. No Longer I, but Christ in me.

Inspired by:

Max lucado

Sa Tan

2006-07-08T20:20:00.000+08:00

The coach shouted instructions to the players frantically, hoping to win the mindset of the opponent, the reward? A goal for the winning team. The devil whispering lies into our mind, the reward? Another lost soul, back slide by his deceptions...

The violent rages of a father. The secret binges of a mother. The sudden rebellion of a teenager. Maxed-out credit cards. Internet pornography. Satan does not sit still. Spiritual warfare as much as you can deny, it is real...

Self-imposed pain. The demoniac used rocked. We are more sophisticated; we use drugs, sex, work, violence, & food. Obsession with death & darkness. Even unchained, the wild man loitered among the dead. Evil feels at home there. Communing with the deceased, sacrificing the living, a morbid fascination with death & dying - this is not the work of God...

Endless restlessness. The man on the eastern shore screamed the day & night [Mark 5:5] Isolation. The man is all alone in his suffering. Such is Satan’s plan. "Be well balanced [temperate, sober of mind], be vigilant & cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon & devour." 1 Peter 5:8 [Amplified Bible] Fellowship will foils his work. & Jesus. Jesus wrecks his work. Christ steps out of the boat with both pistols blasting. "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" [Mark 5:8 NASB]. No chitchat, No niceties. No salutations. Demons deserve no tolerance. They throw themselves at the feet & mercy of Christ...

"My name is Legion; for we are many." & he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. [Mark 9-10, NASB] Legion is a Roman military term. A roman legion involved six thousand soldiers. To envision that many demons inhabiting this man is frightening but not unrealistic. The demons are not only numerous, they are equipped. A legion is a battalion in arms. Satan & his friends come to fight. Hence, we are urged to 'take the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, & having done everything, to stand firm" [Eph. 6:13]

"We are fighting against forces & authorities & against rulers of darkness & powers in the spiritual world" [Eph 6:12 CEV]. The devil is a strong devil. But and this is the point of passage, in Jesus's presence, the devil is a wimp. Satan is to Jesus what a mosquito is to an atomic bomb. How hell's court cowers in Christ's presence! Demons bow before him, solicit him, & obey him. They can't even lease a pig without His permission. Then how do we explain Satan's influence? Satan can disturb us, but he cannot defeat us. The head of the serpent is crushed by Jesus! Halleluiah! Thank you Jesus...

"God disarmed the evil rulers & authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross of Christ." [Col. 2:15 NLT] So how does that leave us? Confident. The punch line of the passage is Jesus' power over Satan. One word from Christ, & the demons are swimming with the swine, & the wild man is 'clothed and in his right mind" [Mark 5:15] Just one command! No séance needed. No hocus-pocus. No chants were heard or candles lit. Hell is an anthill against heaven's steamroller. Jesus "commands...evil spirits, & they obey Him" [Mark 1:27 NCV] The snake in the ditch & Lucifer in the pit- both have met their match...

And yet, both stir up dust long after their defeat. For that reason through confident, we are still careful. Satan spooks our work, disrupts our activities, & leaves us thinking twice about where we step. Which we need to do. Alertness is needed. Panic is not. The serpent still wiggles & intimidates, but he has no poison. He is defeated, and he knows it! "He knows his time is short" [Rev. 12:12 CEV]...

"Little children, you are of God [you belong to him] & have [already] defeated & overcome them [the agents of the antichrist], because He who lives in you is greater [mightier] than he who is in the World. [1 John 4:4 Amplified Bible]. Believe it. Trust the work of your Savior. "So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], & he will flee from you. [James 4:7 Amplified Bible] "Draw near to God & He will draw near to you." [James 4:8 NASB]...

Inspired by:

Max Lucado

Inside Out

2006-06-26T01:51:00.000+08:00

The weeks battling with Satan over my health, just like I always like to say, the Lord fights in all battles, we simply stand still & receive the victories. It is important to proclaim from your mouth, believe in your heart & a miracle you need, a miracle you will receive Amen?! I truly believe the God we serve is a good God, so close, calling Him Father, even Abba, seems to be distant; He is our dear Daddy in Heaven! Who constantly bless us with His mercy & loving kindness, Oh How Great is our God...

Jesus changes our nature from the inside out! "A new heart I will give you & a new spirit will I put within you, & I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh & give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you & cause you to walk in my statutes, & you shall heed my ordinances & do them." Ezekiel 36: 26-27 [Amplified Bible] Jesus doesn't send us to obedience school to learn new habits; He sends us to the hospital to be given a new heart. Forget training; He gives transplants...

You want to go to Heaven? Doesn't matter how religious you are or how many rules you keep. You need a new birth; you need to be "born of water & the Spirit." God gives no sponge baths. Washes us from head to toe. Paul reflected on his conversion & wrote: "He gave us a good bath & we came out of it new people, washed inside & out by the Holy Spirit." [Titus 3:5 MSG] Your sins stand no chance against the fire hydrant of God's grace. But more in needed. Jesus is not content to clean you; He indwells you. Jesus deposits within you "His power, which mightily works." [Col. 1:29]

Don't for a microsecond think God does this with you. Washing the outside isn't enough for Him. He places power on the inside. Better stated, He places Himself on the inside. God is constantly working in us Amen?! Religious as Saint Peter's Square, but feeling just as old? Pious, but powerless? If so, may I remind you of something?

When you believe in Christ, Christ works miracle in you. "When you believe in Christ, He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit." [Eph 1:13 NLT]. You are permanently purified & embowered by God Himself. The message to the religious person is simple: It's not what you do. It’s what Jesus does. Jesus has moved in. And in time we can say with Paul, "I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me." [Gal. 20:20 NLT]

If that is true, Godwyn why do I still sputter? If I'm born again, why do I fall so often? Why did you fall so often after your first birth? Did you exit the womb wearing cross-trainers? Of course not. And when we started to walk, we fell more than we stood. Should we expect anything different from our spiritual walk?

But I fall so often I question my salvation. Again, we return to your first birth. Didn't you stumble as you were learning to walk? And when you stumbled, did you question the validity of your physical birth? Did you, as a one-year-old fresh flopped on the floor, shake your head & think, I have fallen again. I must not be human?

Of course not. The stumbles of a toddler do not invalidate the act of birth. And the stumbles of a Christian do not annul his spiritual birth. Do you understand what God has done? He deposited a Christ seed in us. As it grows, you will change. It's not that sin has no more presence in your life, but rather that sin has no power over your life. Temptation will pester you, but temptations will not master you. What hope this brings! It's not up to us! Within us abides a budding power. Trust Jesus!

Do you like the old person or the new? Do you count yourself as having a new heart or old? You have a choice to make. You might say, "I can't climb stairs; I'm too weak." Does our choice negate the presence of a new heart? Dismiss the work of the surgeon? No. Choosing the elevator would suggest only one fact- we haven't learned to trust out new power. It takes time. But at some point you've got to try those stairs. You've got to test the new ticker. You've got to experiment with the new you. For if we don't, we will run out steam...

Religious rule keeping can sap your strength. It's endless. There is always a class to attend, Sabbath to obey. Ramadan to observe. No prison is as endless as the prison of perfection. Her inmates find work but never find peace. How could they? They never know when they are finished...

Christ, however, gifts you with a finished work. He fulfilled the law for us! Bid farewell to the burden of religion. Gone is the fear that having done everything, you might not have done enough. We climb the stairs, not by our strength, but His. Jesus pledges to help those who stop trying to help themselves.

"And I am convinced & sure of this very thing, that He began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] & perfecting & bringing it to full completion in you." [Phil. 1:6 Amplified Bible] Break every strongholds of the Devil & trust the power in you, Christ the hope of Glory!

Inspired By:

Max Lucado

DTPs

2006-06-15T00:03:00.000+08:00

Remember viral infections were treated by doctors & quarantine meant the isolation of diseased people & pets? No Longer. Nowadays computer get sick. I was infected with gastric flu that brought me down a single week, yet I pushed on with my work leading to stairways of nowhere. I was diagnosed with ulcers deep in the throat that generated high fever, dizziness & great fatigue. Finally my system ‘crashed’ resulted in the much needed rest...

Think of our mind as a computer made to store & process massive amounts of data. Think of our strengths as software. Pianists are loaded with music programs. Accountants seem to be born with spreadsheet capacity. Fun lovers come with games installed. We are different, but we each have a computer & software, & sadly, we have viruses. You & I are infected by destructive thoughts...[I was suffering in depression silently]

Computer viruses have names like ILOVEYOU, Klez & Chernobyl. Mental viruses are known as anxiety, bitterness, anger, guilt, shame, greed & insecurity. They worm their way into our system & diminish, even disable, our mind. We call these DTPs: destructive thought patterns. Do you have any DTPs? When you see the successful, are you jealous? When you see the struggler, are you pompous? Ever argue with someone in your mind? Rehash or rehearse your hurts? Do you assume the worst about the future? If so, you suffer from DTPs...

What would our world be like without then? Had no dark or destructive thought ever entered your mind, how would you be different? Suppose you could relive your life sans any guilt, lust, vengeance, insecurity, or fear. Never wasting mental energy on gossips or scheming. Would you be different?

Oh, to be DTP-free. No energy lost, no time wasted. Wouldn’t such as person be energetic & wise? A lifetime of healthy & holy thoughts would render anyone a joyful genius. But would you find such an individual? An uninfected computer can be bought - but an uninfected person? Impossible. Trace a computer virus back to a hacker. Trace our mental viruses back to the fall of the first man, Adam. Because of sin, our minds are full of dark thoughts. "Although they knew about God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile & their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools" [Rom. 1:21-22 NIV]...

Blame DTPs on sin. Sin messes with the mind. But what if the virus never entered? Supposed a person never opened Satan's emails? What would that person be like? A lot like the twelve-year-old boy seated in the temple of Jerusalem. Though He was beardless & unadorned, this boy's thoughts were profound. The boy name Jesus...

Why? What made Jesus different? The Bible is silent about His IQ. When it comes to the RAM size of His mental computer, we are told nothing. But when it comes to His purity of mind, we are given astounding claim: Christ "Knew no sin" [2 Cor. 5:21] Even the demons declared His unique status, "I know who you are-the Holy One of God!" [ Luke 4:34 NIV]...

The loudest testimony to His perfection was the silence that followed this question. When His accusers called Him a servant of Satan, Jesus demanded to see their evidence. "Which one of you convicts Me of sin?" [John 8:46]. Ask around my circle of friends to point out my sin, and watch the hands shoot up. When those who knew Jesus were asked this same question, no one spoke. Christ was followed by disciples, analyzed by crowds, criticized by family & scrutinized by enemies, yet one person would remember Him committing even one sin. He was never found in wrong place. Never said the wrong word. Never acted the wrong way. He never sinned. Not that He wasn't tempted, mind you. He was "tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin" [Heb 4:15]...

Lust wooed Him. Greed lured Him. Power called Him. Jesus-the-human-was tempted. But Jesus-the-Holy God-resisted. Contaminated email came His way, but He resisted the urge to open it. The word sinless has never survived cohabitation with another person. Those who knew Christ best, however spoke of His purity in unison & with conviction. And because He was sinless, His mind was stainless. DTP-less. No wonder people were "amazed at His teaching" [Mark 1:22 NCV]. His mind is virus-free...

But does this matter? Does the perfection of Christ affect me? If He were a distant Creator, the answer would be NO. But since He is our Savior & redeemer, the rely is a super sized YES! We are made to be like Christ! God's priority is that we be "transformed by the renewing of your mind" [Rom. 12:2 NIV]. You may have been born virus-prone, but you don't have to live that way. There is hope for your head! Are you a worrywart? Don't have to be one forever. Guilt plagued & shamed stained? Don't have to be one forever. Prone to anger? Jealousy? Jesus can take care of that. Jesus can change your mind...

God answers our prayers. He changes the man by changing the mind. And how does it happen? By doing what we are doing right now. Considering the glory of Christ. "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit" [2 Cor. 3:18]. To behold Him is to become like Him. As Christ dominates your thoughts, He changes you from one degree of glory to another until - hang on! - you are ready to live with Him. How Great is our God! Amen?!

Heaven is the land of sinless minds. Virus-free thinking. Absolute trust. No fear or anger. Shame & second-guessing are practices of prior life. Heaven will be wonderful, not because the streets are gold, but because our thoughts will be pure. So what are you waiting on? Apply God's antivirus. "Set you mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died & your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory." [Col. 3:2-4]

Inspired by:

Max Lucado

God knows...

2006-05-23T00:39:00.000+08:00

It's the start of the new week, works are piling up, stress is building up full steam ahead...I learn one thing new this week, apart from looking away from our flesh to the complete work of the Christ on the cross, the Lord says He knows our stress...

Jesus is Himself. Not an angel. Not an ambassador. Not an emissary, but Jesus himself! Shared fully. Not partially. Not nearly. Not to a large degree. Entirely! Jesus shared fully. In all our experience. Every hurt. Each ache. All the stresses & all the strains. No exceptions. No substitutes. Why? So Jesus could sympathize with our weaknesses...

Jesus knows how you feel. From the wake to the factory to the frustration of a demanding schedule. Jesus understands. When you tell God you've reached your limit, He knows what you mean. When you shake your head at impossible deadlines, He shakes His, too. When your plans are interrupted by people who have other plans, He nods in empathy. He has been there. He knows how you feel...

Jesus knows how you feel. You're under the gun at work? Jesus knows how you feel. You've got more to do than is humanly possible? So did He. You've got children who makes a 'piranha hour' out of your dinner house? Jesus knows what that's like. People take more from you than they give? Jesus understands. Your teenagers won't listen? Your students won't try? Your employees give you blank stares when you assign tasks? Believe me, friend, Jesus knows how you feel...

The story of God who became human, sounds familiar? Jesus did! So that you & I would believe that the Healer knows our hurts, He voluntarily became one of us. He placed himself in our position. He suffered our pains & felt our fears...

Rejection? Jesus felt it. Temptation? Jesus knew it. Loneliness? Jesus experienced it. Death? He tasted it. And stress? He could write the best selling book about it! Why did He do it? One reason. So that when you hurt, you will go to Him - your Father & your Physician & let Him heal!

You are precious to Jesus. So precious that He became like you so that you would come to Him. When you struggle, Jesus listens. When you yearn, He responds. When you question, He hears them...Jesus battles with hell itself to protect you...

For in Luke 1:37 [Amplified Bible] it says, "For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment." Hang in there, Jesus knows...

Inspired By:

Max Lucado

And I will remember your sins no more...

2006-05-15T00:27:00.000+08:00

And I will remember your sins no more...

Says Who? We have to repent! Confess our countless sins daily, why? To be holy? Fear of losing our salvation? Hebrews 8: 12 [NASB] written in the Bible says, “For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And I will remember their sins no more.” Says Jesus, again in Hebrews 9:17 [NASB], “And their sins & their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”…

This is the New Covenant, we are redeemed not by the blood of goats & bulls but by the blood of Christ, Son of God, thus our sins are paid, yesterday, today & tomorrow Amen?! Seekers of popularity, power, & pleasure. The end result is the same: painful unfulfillment…

God doesn’t just forgive, he forgets. He erases the board. He destroys the evidence. He burns the mirco film. He clears the computer. He doesn’t remember our mistakes. For all the things He does do, this is one thing he refuses to do. He refuses to keep a list of our wrongs. When we ask for forgiveness He doesn’t pull out a clipboard & says, “But I’ve already forgiven you for that seven hundred & seventeen times.”…

“As far as east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 203:12 [NSAB] “Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you white as wool!” Isaiah 1:18 [TLB]

No, He doesn’t remember. But I do, you do. You still remember. You’re like me. You still remember what you did before you changed. In the cellar of your heart lurk the ghosts still linger of yesterday’s sins. Sins I’ve confessed; errors of which I’ve repented; damage I’ve done my best to repair…

And though I’m a different person, the ghosts still linger. Though I’ve locked the basement door, they still haunt me. They float to meet me, spooking my soul & robbing my joy. With wordless whispers they remind me of moments when I forgot whose child I were. That horrid lie. That jealousy. That Habit. That Date. The time I exploded in anger…

Do you think God sent that ghost? Do you think God is the voice that reminds me of my past? Do you think God was teasing when He said, “I will remember your sins no more?” To love conditionally is against Jesus nature. Just as it’s against our nature to eat trees & against mine to grow wings, it’s against Jesus nature to remember forgiven sins…

You see, Jesus is either the God of perfect grace…or He is not God Grace forgets. Period. He who is perfect love cannot hold grudges. If Jesus does, then He isn’t perfect love. And if Jesus isn’t perfect love, you might as well stop reading this blog and go kite flying, because both of us are chasing fairy tales…

But I believe in His loving forgetfulness. And I believe He has a graciously terrible memory. Think about this. If He didn’t forget, how could we pray? How could we sing to Jesus? How could we dare enter into His presence if the moment He saw us He remembered all our pitiful past? How could we enter His throne room wear the rags of our selfishness & gluttony? We couldn’t…

“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Galatians 3:27 [NASB] We have ‘put on’ Christ. When God looks at us He doesn’t see us; He see Christ! We ‘wear’ Jesus. We are hidden in Jesus; we are covered by Jesus…

Presumptuous, you say? Sacrilegious? It would be if it were my idea. But it isn’t; it’s Jesus. We are presumptuous not when we marvel at His grace, but when we reject it, And we’re sacrilegious not when we claim His forgiveness, but when we allow the haunting sins of yesterday to convince us that God forgives but He doesn’t forget...

Do yourself a favor. Purge your cellar. Exorcise your basement. Take the Roman nails of Calvary & board up the door. And remember…Father God forgot…

Inspired By:

Max Lucado

The Prodigal Son

2006-05-11T00:20:00.000+08:00

A great testimony & encouragement wrote by Brother Chong. The loving kindness & mercy of Christ Jesus touches deep down in my Heart witnessing the truth that set us free! Gory to the Lord always:

To: Whoever in the same trial as me

During February this year, there was a lottery with the 1^st price of S$10 million, I prayed very hard for it hoping I could clear all my debts which were due to my poor management on finance & have the quality of life I wanted, I trust the Lord will give it to me.

When the results are announced, I didn’t win the first prize, I was really upset & felt betrayed by the Lord. I went through a few weeks of anger, frustration & hurt. I started calling God all kinds of names & calling Christian hypocrite & completely stop attending church. During those few weeks, I told myself I only believe in me & deny the existence of God, but there was warfare within me, I kept denying & the Holy Spirit kept prompting me. I nearly went insane when the Holy Spirit keep speaking to me, I started cursing & swearing out loud!

My brother in Christ, Godwyn contacted me now & then although I thought God have left me, He got Godwyn to talk to me, he knew what I was going through and gentlemanly step back and stop talking about God to me for those time, we went out together often & the strange thing was that I am the first to say something on God without knowing it, immediately after I said it, I denied my words & believed what I said was rubbish. However, brother Godwyn always says, once save, forever save, there is no way I can get out of God’s hand…

One day in march, I was resting on my chair at home, I heard a scratching sound beside me, I opened my eyes & I saw no one, I was quite scared as it was quite dark, I suddenly commanded any unclean things in my house to leave in Jesus name, as I was quite tired, I feel asleep quite immediate. Later, I told myself what’s this? Why should I called the name of Jesus? I think I was really insane…

About 2 weeks later, I was had severe toothache every night, the pain started first in the night & happen during the day as well. I used salt water to rinse my mouth the pain subsided for awhile but slowly the salt water lost it’s effect. I had to use ice cube to numb the nerves in my tooth as the pain was tremendous. It worked when the ice cube was in my mouth, but when it melted, the pain came back. In the evening my brother said he was going to the supermarket & asked me what I needed. Without any hesitation, I asked him to buy me a pack of ribena, meanwhile I still continued to suffer the pain...

When he came back, I still think what could ribena do while all failed, I never pray to God at all when I suffered the pain, miracle happened when I took the ribena, the first sip of ribena in my mouth led to the immediate lost of pain for my severe toothache. The pain had never came back since then…[Ribena is used to represent the blood of Jesus Christ, where I was taught the wonders of Holy Communion in our Church]

Early last month, I was feeling lost & wondered around the city. Before I realized where I was, I was standing outside the church, I didn’t know how I get there & I met a church brother who spent time talking to me & telling me God has never left me not forsake me even when I call him all kinds of names. After a few session with him [brother in Christ from the church], I found that how stupid I had behaved with all the negative thoughts of the Lord. I contacted brother Godwyn & told him I am going back to Church. One night while we fellowship at a food center, I told him the miracle healing of my toothache, He told me actually, I had taken communion, when I suffered the toothache, the Lord shows His goodness, mercy and loving kindness on me even I denied Him & cursed Him with all kinds of names…

Later that night, I was thinking how good our Father in Heaven is to me! He never fell off His mercy sit or send lighting to strike on me when I called Him all kinds of rubbish names. He does not look at me to judge me but to the one sitting on His right side, which is our Lord Jesus Christ…

Finally for those who have the same trial as me, The people of the World is going for the lottery win so that they can have the money which they thought could let them have the quality of life. Money is not evil but the love of money is evil, when you go after Jesus, all the blessings [finance, health, relationship etc] will come after you & bless you more than you can imagine. He who gets the son gets everything, God will never know what is enough & will give you boat sinking, net breaking load of fishes, just like what Jesus did for Peter…

So, just remember our Father God loves us more than we can love ourselves. No matter which profession or what you did, He loves you beyond your imagination. Jesus had paid for the consequence of sin of your entire life whether it is past, present or future.

Father God will run to you & hug you like what He had done to me...

The Prodigal Son - Chong

Soldier

2006-04-30T22:24:00.000+08:00

My spirit echoed through the days, "Let the weak say I am strong, Let the Poor say I am rich & Let the sick say I am Whole." The past weeks of trials lead to tribulation, my younger sister was hospitalized, my work was in huge confusion, and warfare came to the whole family as my mum the last in the family finally was baptized. Total salvation, how bless we are Halleluiah, His grace deeply rooted in us! I hold onto the truth where in 2nd Timothy, 2:1 says, "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus'. [NASB] His grace delivered the family, the fiasco, nights of worries, days of pain...

"Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 2:3 [NASB] we are known to be the good soldier where tribulation built upon our perseverance. "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." 2 Timothy 3:12 [NASB]. Therefore Rejoice even in persecution Amen?!

His foot planted on the serpent's head, Jesus speaks loudly enough that His words echo off all walls in our life. "I am the resurrection & the life, he who believes in me will live, even though he dies; & whoever lives & believes in me will never die." [John 11:25] Do your 'Dare' to believe in this? Too good to be true?...The struggle. The snake. The lie. The enticement. Heart torn, lured. Soul drawn to pleasure, to independence, to importance. Inner agony. Whose will? The choice...

Through the weeks, miracles surfaced, Jesus unfailing love embraces the family. Miracles Divine miracles. These are miracles because they are mysteries. Scientifically explainable? Yes. Reproducible? To a degree...But still they are mysteries. Events that stretch beyond our understanding & their origins in another realm...

God Has opted to display His power daily. Proverbially. Pounding waves. Prism-cast colors. Birth, death, life. We are surrounded by miracles. God is throwing testimonies around us, how we could escape God. But somehow we do. We live in an art gallery of divine creativity & yet we are content to gaze only at the carpet...

Or what is pathetically worst, we demand more. More signs. More proof. More hat tricks. As if Jesus were some vaudeville magician we could summon for a dollar. How have we grown so deaf? Have we grown to immune to awesomeness? Why are we so reluctant to be staggered or thunderstruck?

Perhaps the frequency of the miracles binds us to their beauty. After all, what spice is there in springtime or a tree blossom? Don't the seasons come every year? Aren't there countless seashells just like this one?

Bored, we say ho-hum & replace the remarkable with the regular, the unbelievable with the anticipated. Science & statistics wave their unmagic wand across the face of life, squelching the oohs & aahs & replacing them with formulas & figures.

Would you like to see Jesus? Do you dare be an eyewitness of His Majesty? Then rediscover amazement. The next time you hear a baby laugh or see an ocean wave, take note, Pause & listens as His Majesty whispers so gently, "I'm here."...Soldier

Inspired by:

Max Lucado

Coffee Cuppa

2006-04-15T07:55:00.000+08:00

I recieve this article from a sister in Christ, I believe loving is sharing: Enjoy your cup of coffee & Have a great week ahead, May the Lord keep you & Bless you:-)

Coffee Cuppa:

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups -porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive,some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups and were eyeing each other's cups. Now if life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change. Some times, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."

So, don't let the cups drive you... enjoy the coffee instead, especially for us, who have Lord in our hearts, "Fear not be glad and rejoice for the Lord will do great things in our lives" [Joel 2:21] Know it, proclaim it, and received it...

My Birthday

2006-04-09T21:00:00.000+08:00

I was born on the 9th of April, the day when my cries awake our Father in Heaven. This year, I came to realize my life it's not about me, it's about Him. It's about our daily fellowship with God & knowing the goodness of the Son of God, Christ our savior, our redeemer, our healer, our all & everything, our eternal life...

Our World out there is all about me, the "me-centric" World. Me, myself & Godwyn...Marriages are often ruined because one or both partners are focused on their own happiness. Successful men & women are ruined by our own success, believing we do not need anyone else's input. And for many of us, our life's troubles are magnified because we believe our life is all about us...selfish thoughts, insolent attitudes & greedy hearts...

Believe in the truth & the truth will set you free! The truth? Lead a Christ centered life & start to look upon Jesus & His glory will set you free from all bondages, if only you choose to do so, as Our God we serve is a good God that gives us free-will of choices...

Aren't we all born with a default drive set on selfishness? I want a spouse who makes me happy & co-workers who always ask my opinion. I want weather that suits me & traffic that helps me and a government that serves me. It's all about me. Self-promotion. Self-preservation. Self-centeredness. It's all about me [Godwyn]...We thought self-celebration would make us happy...does it?

We will see our suffering differently when we lead a Christ-centered life. "My pains proves God's absence" will be replaced with "My pain expands God's purpose." God turned the Red Sea into a red carpet. Manna fell. Quail ran. Water bubbled from within a rock. It is only Christ, who can move mountains...

What do we do in time of trouble? " Psalm 50:15 [NASB] says, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, & you will honor me." The brevity of life grants power to abide, not an excuse to bail. Fleeting days don't justify fleeting problems. Fleeting days strengthen us to endure problems. Will your problems pass? No guarantee they will. Will your pain cease? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But Jesus gives us this promise: "For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison..." 2 Corinthians 4:17 [NASB]

The words 'weight of glory' conjures up images of the ancient pan scale Remember the blindfolded lady of justice? She holds a pan scale - two pans, one on either side of the needle. The weight of a purchase would be determined by placing weights on one side & the purchase on the other.

God does the same with our struggles. On one side He stacks all our burdens. Famines. Firings. Parents who forgot you. Bosses who ignored you. Bad breaks, bad health, bad days. Stack them up, & watch one side of the pan scale plummet. Now witness God's response. Does He remove them? Eliminate the burdens? No, rather than take them, He offsets them. He places an eternal weight of glory on the other side. Endless joy. Measureless peace. An eternity of Him. Watch what happens as He sets eternity on our scale.

Everything changes! Burdens lifts. The heavy becomes light when weight against eternity. If life is "Just a moment", can't we endure any challenge for a moment? We can be sick for just a moment. We can be lonely just a moment. We can be persecuted for just a moment. We can struggle for just a moment. Can't we? Can't we wait for our peace? It's not about us anyway isn't it? And it's certainly not about now...but for a moment...

Inspired by

Max Lucado

Changes

2006-04-04T22:16:00.000+08:00

With life comes changes. Changes are like taxes, it is necessary but unwelcome. My body changes, with lack of sleep more stress element, I fall sick. My faith changes, with more tribulations either I leap ahead & walk in faith or I will fall, not knowing when I will arise...

With changes comes fear, insecurity, sorrow, stress. So what do you do? Hibernate? Take no risks for fear of failing? Give no love for fear of losing? Some opt to. They hold back. A better idea is to look up. Set your bearing on the one & only North Star in the Universe - Jesus. For though life changes, He never does...

"For ever since the creation of the World His invisible nature & attributes, that is, His eternal power & divinity, have been made intelligible & clearly discernible in & through the things that have been made [His handiworks]. So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification]." [Romans 1:20 Amplified Bible] Jesus strength never diminishes. Yours & mine will & has. We aren't as alert in the evening as in the morning. We can't run as fast when we are eighty as when we are twenty. Even the strongest among us must eventually rest...

Daniel 6: 26 [NASB] reads. "For He is the living God & enduring forever, & His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever" Psalmist 59 16-17 [NASB} sings, "But as for me, I shall sing of your strength; Yes I shall joyfully sing of Your loving kindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold And a refuge in the day of my distress. O my strength I will sing praises to You; For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me loving kindness."

Need a strong hand to hold? You'll always find one in Christ. His strength never changes. Need unchanging truth to trust? Try Jesus. His truth never wavers. "The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8 [NASB] Our outlook may change. My convictions may sway, but "the Scripture cannot be broken" [John 10:35 NKSV]. And since it can't, since his truth will not waver, God's ways will never alter...

God will always hate sin & love sinners, despise the proud & exalt the humble. Christ will always convict the evildoer & comfort the heavy-hearted. He never changes direction mid-stream. recalibrates the course midway home or amends the Heavenly Constitution. God will always be the same!

No one else will. Lover call you today & scorn you tomorrow. Companies follow pay raises with pink slips. Friends applaud you when you drive a classic & dismiss you when you drive a dud. Not Jesus! Jesus is "always the same" [Psalm 102:27 ESV]. With Him "there is no variation or shadow due to change" [James 1:17 ESV].

Catch God in a bad mood? Won't happen. Fear exhausting His grace? Think He's given up on you? Wrong. Did He not made a promise to you? "God is not a human being, and He will not lie. He is not a human, & does not change His mind. What He says He will do, He does. What He promises, He makes come True." [Numbers 23:19 NCV]. Jesus will never be sullen or sour, sulking or stressed. His strength, truth, ways, & love will never change. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday & today & forever." [Hebrews 13:8 NASB]

Jesus plans will never change, because He makes His plans in complete knowledge. Forget hopeful forecasting. He declares "the end from the beginning" [Isaiah 46:10]. Nothing takes Him by surprises. "The plan of the Lord stand firm forever." [Psalm 33:11 NIV]

The cross will not lose its power. The blood of Christ will not fade in strength. Heaven will never announce the collapse of any failure. God will never return to the drawing board. "What He does in time He planned for eternity. And all that He planned in eternity He carries out in Time."

"The Lord almighty has spoken - Who can change His plans? When His hands moves, Who can stop Him?" [Isaiah 14:27 NLT] God never changes. Everyone else does. Everything else will...

What changes are you facing? Age withers the strongest bodies. With life comes change. But with change comes the reassuring appreciation of heaven's permanence. "Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands" [2 Timothy 2:19] His house will stand forever...

Inspired by:

Max Lucado

Sigh

2006-03-28T20:43:00.000+08:00

I just sighed, did you? Is your sigh depressing? Is sighing an act that distrust God? Let's read on, "And looking up to Heaven, He sighed as He said, Ephphatha which means, Be opened!" Mark 7:34 [Amplified Bible] You are not alone...

I have never thought of God as one who sighs. I have thought of God as one who commands. I have thought of God as one who weeps. I have thought of God as one who called forth the dead with command or created the Universe with a word...but a God who sighs?

Perhaps this phase caught my eye because I do my fair share of sighing. I sighed last week when I visited my grandma, due to old age, she couldn't recognize me till I seat awhile with her. I sighed when I saw huge crowds often worship the idols, not knowing the truth about God. I sighed just when I hope my fever will not return to torment me for the night...

If you have tried to resist temptation, you've had probably sighed. If you've had your motives questioned or your best acts of love rejected, you have been forced to take a deep breath & let escape a painful sigh...

The sigh described in Mark 7 is a hybrid of frustration & sadness. It lies somewhere between a fit of anger & a burst of tears. All these sighs come from the same anxiety; a recognition of pain that was never intended, or of hope deferred. Man was not created to be separated from his Creator; hence he sighs longing for home. The creation was never intended to be inhabited by evil; hence she sighs, yearning for the Garden. And conversations with God were not intended to depend on a translator; hence the Spirit groans on our behalf, looking to a day when humans will see God face to face...

All I want to say is that, even when you sigh, Jesus feels the pain and in the agony of Jesus lies our hope. Had he not sighed, had he not felt the burden for what was not intended, we would be in a pitiful condition. Had he simply chalked it all up to the inevitable or washed His hands of the whole stinking mess, what hope would we have?

But He didn't. That holy sign assures us that God still groans for His people. He groans for the day when all sighs will cease, when what was intended to be will be! Jesus had planted His foot on the serpent's head, Jesus speaks loudly enough even with His sigh...

John 11: 25 says, "I am [Myself] the Resurrection & the life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, & relies on) Me, although he may die, yet he shall live..." Do you believe this? I do...

Inspired by:

Max Lucardo

Poverty is a curse!

2006-03-18T22:42:00.000+08:00

The first instance when one open their mail box, most of them are expecting bills. Mobile bills, Utilities bills, Insurance bills, Internet bills, all seem to be never ending. Your heart beats faster with their lawyer's letter attentioned to your names, late payment, expired payment, payments at that instant; it is like a never ending story...Where is my Jesus? Where is Abba? Where is my Lord?...help me with my pile of debts!

Hope arises to the birth of faith as faith comes from our ability to hope, & faith comes from the knowledge of the Good Gospel of Christ Jesus. What is the Gospel of the poor; that Jesus has come to redeem us & we don't have to be poor through our eternal life! Not very many poverty-stricken people have ever heard the whole Gospel.

"But seek first His Kingdom & His righteousness, & all these things will be given to you as well. [ Matt 6:33] Didn’t God said ALL? Jesus listed very specific categories. On of them was preaching the good news to the poor man, thereby giving him, Hope & Strength. We need to stop allowing these poverty stricken people to believe that by staying poor it will somehow make them more pious & sanctified. The Lord took away poverty 2000 years ago on that cross for you & me...

Brother Kenneth Copeland shared three main things regarding the laws or prosperity. 1. You must know that it is God's will to prosper His people: People have the idea that spiritual things are separated from material things. That isn't true. Spiritual law government material things. The laws prosperity will work for anyone who will meet the biblical requirement to walk in them. 2. We need to know God's reason for prospering His people: The whole purpose of gainful of employment & prosperity is to take God's laws, prosper by them & then do something about the poverty in the rest of the World. 3. The last thing we must know is God's way of prospering His People. God prospers by prospering the soul (3 John 2) & through the avenue of giving: It is to have a giving attitude to take over in the Body of Christ.

Forget about your own needs. Get involved in the whole Gospel. Begin to meet the needs of others, spirit mind and body, watch how quickly God will move in your behalf. Seek Matt 6:33 Take your eyes off your own life & put them on the lives & needs of others! In seeking first the kingdom of God, we first learn to walk in the Word, to seek the Word & get the word inside us. Then things will be added to you. If you walk daily in His word & His truth , you have a sure connection to health & prosperity...

"Let them shout for joy & rejoice, who favor my vindication & let them say continually, "The Lord be magnified, who delights in the prosperity of His servant. And my tongue shall declare your righteousness and your praise all day long. Psalm 35:27-28 [NASB] God has pleasure in our prosperity! Verse 28 means continually, steadily walking in His word. This means meditating on God & His promises all day long. I believe if we do this day after day, God's word will eventually take root of your soul. When our soul starts to walk continually in His truth, God's blessings are not far off.

Jesus teaches us how to be well in spirit, soul & body, regardless of our circumstances as He said, "I am the way, the truth & life." When we walk in His ways, meditate on the truths our life, health will prosper. Money is not the root of all evil . "For the love for money is a root of all sorts of evil, & some by longing..." [1 Tim 6:10 NASB] Prosperity covers more than finances. We should prosper both in health & soul. To prosper in your soul, you must be able to control your mind, will & emotions. Prosperity of the mind comes when you use the information that has been acquired; when you are controlling your mind instead of your mind controlling you. We cannot control our mind completely without the Word of God being alive & operating inside us.

Emotions we all have. God made us an emotional being. We are created in His image. Therefore, He must experience emotions as well. "...Jesus wept" [John 11:35 NASB] "He who sits in the heaven laughs..." [Psalms 2:4 NASB] Expressing feelings are certainly not wrong. To remain prosperous in our soul, however, we should be motivated or controlled by our feelings.

True Prosperity: Defined as physical prosperity includes gold, silver, financial power, political power & social favor. True prosperity is the ability to meet the needs pf mankind in any realm of life. Wealth & power cannot answer to every need. Money makes a lousy God! It can't buy good health, prevent sickness & disease from take over the human body. What produces spiritual, mental & physical prosperity? What brings all these together? The Word of God. The bible says in Hebrews 4:12 that the Word is alive, powerful & sharper than a two-edged sword. When we are walking in the Word of God, you will prosper & be in health. It is Jesus will for us to be made whole - spirit, soul, & body; & to be kept that way until the return of Lord Christ Jesus...

Inspired By

Kenneth Copeland

Oh Jesus...

2006-03-15T22:46:00.000+08:00

The World says an apple a day will keep the doctor away, yet what I experience is a prayer a day will keep the Devil away. How Godwyn? I experience the miracle healing of severe food poisoning, yet hours after I wrote the entry, 'His Majesty', healing came in 'Cheetah Speed'. I was well with just some pain killers & charcoal pills...

The fever subside & the pain is gone, the definite results of everyone's prayer. How bless I am with you as part of my family, shadowing Jesus's love for me. We see our selfishness, for we cannot give. We see our pain, for we cannot heal. We can only be embrace in the arms of our Father, Abba...

Jesus could have come back as a man in another era when society wasn't so volatile, when religion wasn't so stale, when people would listen better. The Lord could have come back when crosses are out of style. But His heart wouldn't let Him. If there was hesitation on the part of His humanity, it was overcome by the compassion of His divinity. His divinity heard our voices. His divinity heard the hopeless cries of the poor, the bitter accusations of the abandoned, the dangling despair of those who are trying to save themselves...you & I...

His divinity saw our faces. Some wrinkled. Some weeping. Some hidden behind the veils. Some obscured by fear. Some earnest with searching. Some blank with boredom. From the face of Adam to the face of the infant born somewhere in the World as you read these words, He saw all them all. Praise for His divine heart for us, His eternal listening ears...

Your silent prayers uttered on tearstained pillows were heard before they were said. Your deepest question about death & eternity were answered before they were asked. Your direst need, your need for a Savior, was met before you ever sinned. And not only did He hear you, He saw you. He saw your face aglow the hour you first knew Him. He saw your face in shame the hour you first fell. The same face that looked back at you this morning's mirror, looked at Him And it was enough to kill Him...

Since Jesus could bear your sins more easily than He could bear the thought of your hopelessness, He chose to come, Son of God, The lamb of God, The light of the World, The Resurrection & the Life, the Bright & Morning Star, the alpha & the omega...But the Lord said, "Just call me Jesus" How humble is our living God...

Inspired By

Max Lucardo

His Majesty

2006-03-13T19:06:00.000+08:00

Took a medical leave & slept the whole day as I suffered from sleepless night with food poisoning. Burning sensation took over the body & I kept going to the bath room, flushes out the toxic in my body. I do not know what I ate made me felt so bad though I sanctified any food before I consume with prayer. Spiritual attacks transforming to physical attacks? "My Lord, my God, have you forsaken me..."

Is it the changes around me that terrified me? Changes always brings fear before it brings faith. We always assume the worst before we look for the best. God interrupts our lives with something we've never seen, rather than praise, we panic! That's how I feel around me now with a light dose of anxiety...

I'm so glad that I am able to see God's creation through my eyes as most of us who have lived a lifetime with vision can't really know how wonderful it must be to be given sight. We can live next to something for a lifetime, but unless we take time to focus on it, it doesn't become a part our life. Unless somehow have our blindness lifted, our World is but a black cave...

Think about it. Just because one has witnessed a thousand rainbows doesn't mean he's seen the grandeur of one. One can live near a garden & fail to focus on the splendor of the one. A man can spend a lifetime with a woman & never pause to took into her soul & a person can be all that goodness calls Him to be & still never see the Author of life...

Being honest or moral or even religious doesn't necessarily mean we will see Jesus. No. We may see what others see in Him. Or we may hear what some other say He said. But until we see Him for ourselves, until our own sight is given, we may think we see him, in having in reality seen only a hazy form in the gray semidarkness..

Have you caught a glimpse of His Majesty? A word is placed in a receptive crevice of your heart that causes you, ever so briefly, to see His face. You hear a verse read in tone you'd never heard, or explained in a way you'd never thought, & one more piece of the puzzle falls into place. Someone touches your painful spirit as only one sent from Him could do...and there He is...Jesus, The God who claimed to be older than time & greater than death!

His Majesty. The emperor of Judah. The soaring eagle of eternity. The noble admiral of kingdom. All the splendor of Heaven revealed in a human body just for you & my sins. There is no run-of-the-mill-messiah. He story was extraordinary. He called Himself Divine, yet allowed a minimum-wage Roman soldier to drive a nail into his wrist. He demanded purity, yet stood for the rights of a repentant whore. He called His men to march, yet they refused to allow Him to call Him King. He sent men into all World, yet equipped them with only bended knees & memories of a resurrected carpenter. Oh how great thy Lord...

Has it been a while since you have seen him? If your prayers seem to stale, it probably had. If your faith seems to be trembling, perhaps your vision of Him has blurred. If you can't find power to face your problems, perhaps it is time to face Him. I am fellowshipping with the Lord while I pen down the entry as the Lord our God is always with us:-)

One warning! Something happens to a person who has witnessed His Majesty. He becomes addicted, just like me! One glimpse of the King & you are consumes by a desire to see more of Him & say more about Him. That same Christ will emerge from a wavy figure walking out of desert mirage to become the touchable face of a best friend you can count on, through eternity...

Inspired by

Max Lucardo

You Raise me Up

2006-03-07T18:03:00.000+08:00

I was impressed when I open up the Bible just, when the Spirit speaks, "For the Lord will not abandon His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance." Psalm 94:14 [NASB] As I am trying not to 'back-slide' with my close brother in Christ who has influenced on me. A few days back, He shared with me How angry he was with God & his suicide thoughts...

Then & there, the Devil was quick to put thoughts on me as well telling me God has forsaken me. Yet I remember even our Lord, Christ Jesus was 'tested' & He says: Man does not live on bread alone but every words of the living God. The next verse it says, "For judgment will again be righteous, And all the upright in heart will follow it. Who can stand up for me against the evildoers? Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness?" Psalm 94:15-16 [NASB] these are the exact thoughts I have been carrying...

I try talking the brother in Christ down, we spend hours late Friday night till Saturday morning while he let out his anger & I hold my stance in Christ, he did felt better but those hours are hell to me as the Devil cease not to battle us on with spiritual attacks so real, have you ever been through one? Yet it says in the Bible. "In the multitude of my [anxious] thoughts within me, Your comforts cheer & delight my soul!" Psalm 94:19 [Amplified Bible] Oh how true this verse says...

How should I battle on? Shall I remain still? Shall I use my own effort to overcome the trials that seem snow ball into tribulation? "But the Lord has become my High Tower & Defense, & my God the Rock of my refuge. And He will turn back upon them their iniquity & will wipe them out by means of their own wickness; the Lord our God will wipe them out." Psalm 94:22-23 [Amplified Bible] Halleluiah! Halleluiah! The Lord is my High Tower of Defense so is He your Rock of refuge, I know there are brothers & sisters out there suffering from prosecution, yet let us be Still as if Jesus is for us, who can be against us???

Hey Godwyn, what about the title, you raise me up? What is it got to do with former words? Be patient, Amen?! This is the title of a song that was Christ centered. A year plus ago, I wrote about this song when Sister Irene shared with me the song. I know it is not Godincidence when I heard the Song on Godpa's car when he was driving me home as he hardly listen to English titles. Just two days ago I walk pass a music store & it was playing "You raise me up", I felt so much comfort that I purchase the CD though it was sang by Westlife [originated from Josh Groban]

The Lord reminded me He raise me up & brought me tears of joy as I know even I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear...He is with me & you...

You Raise me Up

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

* You can watch the MTV of the Song, it's really meaningful

a. By Josh Groban

Go to yahoo & Type in "You Raise me up+Video"
Search Engine will show up on the Top left hand corner the Video search
Click on the 2nd Video box & enjoy...

B. By Westlife

2nd Timothy 2:13

2006-03-03T02:32:00.000+08:00

If we are faithless [do not believe & are untrue to Him], He remains true (faithful to His Word & His righteous character), for He cannot deny Himself. [2 Tim 2:13 Amplified Bible] My closest brother in Christ choose now to deny Christ & I found no way to talk him out of it. My mobile was stolen while I was watching 'Munich', losing all my contacts. I discover how vulnerable we are when we depend on technology. Much more unpleasant incidents that quaver my faith...

Have you ever found yourself in such situation & start to doubt the existence of God? God is true to us even when we forget Him, we do not believe in Him, because of the perfect work done by a savior, have you forgotten? If you have, let me share with you my disbelief, His name is Christ Jesus, Son of God...

God's blessings are dispensed according to the riches of his grace, not according to the depth of our faith. God's faithfulness has never depended on the faithfulness of us. He is faithful even when we aren't. When we lack courage, He doesn't. He has made a history out of using people in spite of people, that I choose to think. In my mind one side echoes, "Godwyn don't give up, look up, trust & believe in Jesus. Your optimism is not hollow. Christ has proven worthy. He has shown that he never fails, thought there is nothing but failure is us". Jesus is faithful even when we are not! That's what makes Jesus, our God, our living Savior...

It sounds like an irony isn't it, God made man, Man rejected God. Yet, the truth is God won't give up until He wins You back! Though I might hear nothing now, I know He is speaking. Though I see nothing now, He is acting as with God there are no accidents. Every incident I believe is intended to bring us closer to Him! So what does Jesus do while we are enduring the 'pain'? What does He do while we are in the storm? He prays for us! Really? It is written in the Bible in Mark...

[Mark 6:45-51 NASB] "Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat & go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. After bidding them farewell, He left the mountain to pray. When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, & He was alone on the land. Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, & cried out; for they immediately He spoke with them & said to them, "Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid." Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped;

Jesus was not in the boat while the disciples were in the storm, He wasn't in the boat because He had gone to the hills to pray. Jesus didn't stop praying while His disciples were struggling. When He heard their cries, He remained in prayer. Why? There is always two side of the coin. Either He didn't care, or He believed in prayer. I think we know the correct choice. And you know what? Jesus hasn't changed. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday & today & forever. [Heb 13:8 NASB] But Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. [Heb 7:24-25 NASB]

So where does that leave us? While Jesus is praying & we are in the storm, what are we to do? We do what the disciples did. We row! The disciples rowed most of the night. Marks says that they 'struggled hard' to row the boat. The word struggle is elsewhere translated as 'tormented'. Wasn't easy. Wasn't glamorous. Much of life is spent rowing. Getting out of bed. Fixing lunches. Turning in assignments. Changing diapers. Paying bills. Routine. Regular. More struggle than strut. More wrestling than resting.

I learned that at the right time, God comes. In the right way, He appears. So I choose not to bail out. I choose not to give up! I choose not to lay down the oars! As Jesus is too wise to forget us, too loving to hurt us. When we can't see Him, trust Him. He is praying a prayer that He Himself will answer. I have made my choice, have you? Don't QUIT!

Believe in the One He Sent. - John 6:29

2006-02-20T22:33:00.000+08:00

"Jesus replied, This is the work [service] that God asks of you: that you believe in the One whom He has sent [that you cleave to, trust, rely on & have faith in His Messenger]. John 6:29 [Amplified Bible] I was asked by one of the brother in Christ,"why are people who worship idols in the World prospering in the material aspect of life? Why God does not seem to take away my pile of Debts since we are prince of the World? "No it's Not true, I..." before I can even start, the same reply comes, "It's only you Godwyn you are blessed...Not me..."

I have witnessed quite a number of sisters & brothers in Christ back-sliding thinking God do not love them because their debts are not taken away, or maybe they get rejected by another part of opposite sex all kinds of lies that are deception created by the Devil.

Do you believe what was said in John 6:29? "Yes... then rely, have faith & trust Jesus!" "Till I am bankrupt? Is that till then God will come & save me?" said the brother. Hard words, sensitive issues & complex answer..."I believe & rely on Jesus, as I know blessings are not from our World we live, it is super-natural, that is why it is called Miracle & Blessing. I truly believe "I do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you for on Him the Father, God has set His seal." John 6:27 [NASB] Amen?!

Do you like it when people label you before they know you? We often applied the label before we looked inside of many...some examples

"So, you're unemployed?" [Label: - Bum]

"Hmnn you are an accountant.." [Label: - Boring people who knows numbers few words]

" So you are in Sales..." [Label: - Compulsive liars made up of all the sales executives]

"Oh you are in real estate work..." [Label: - One of those disgusting housing agent]

Labels. So convenient. Stick them on a person, & you know what pantry to use. What if God did that with us? What if God judged us by our outward appearance? What if He judged us based on where we grew up? Or what we do for a living? Or mistakes we made when we were young? He wouldn't do that, would he?

John tells us a time the disciples applied a label. Jesus & his followers came upon a man who had been blind from birth. Here the questions the disciples asked Jesus: "Teacher, whose sin caused this man to be born blind - his own sin or his parents' sin?"
[John 9:2]

How can they be so harsh? So insensitive? The answer? It's easier to talk about a person than to help a person. It's easier to debate homosexuality than to be a friend to a gay friend. It's easier to discuss divorce than to help the divorced. It's easier to argue abortion than to support an orphanage. It's easier to complain about the welfare system than to help the poor. It's easier to label than to love. It's especially easy to talk theology. Such discussions make us feel righteous. Self-righteous!

Who do you best relate to in this story? Some of you relate to the man born blind. You have been the topic of conversation. You have been left on the outside looking in. You've been labeled. If so, learn what this man learned: When everyone else rejects you, Christ accepts you. When everyone else leaves you, Christ finds you. When no one else wants you, christ claims you. When no one else wise will give you the time of the day, Jesus will give you the words of eternity.

Others of you will relate to the observers. You've judged. You've labeled. You've slammed the gavel & proclaimed the guilt before know the facts. If that is you, go back to John 9:4 & understand what the work of God is "We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work."

What is the work of God? Accepting People. Loving people before judgment. Caring before condemning! Look Before you Label.

Inspired by:

Max Lucardo

Jesus Christ Our - Valentine

2006-02-11T20:40:00.000+08:00

"Love is patient, Love is kind & is not jealous; love does not brag & is not arrogant...bears all things, believes all things, hopes al things, endures all things." a verse that is so wide spread even unbeliever knows, 1st Cor 13:4

Day of Valentine is near, 3 more days, are you planning for a date or out of one? I have been enjoying the last 3 years being single since the last emotional fiasco, it's not that I am sad, desperate & unwanted [We are prince of the World, as our Father is the creator of the universe, No One is unwanted Amen?!] I simply fear to be in one [I will run or avoid if I sense that I am falling in love] & I want a relationship that is Christ Centered, else with our human imperfect love, it will not last, I guess many of us 'have been there', experienced it.

I love Pastor Prince's quote on love, "When it comes to daily living where all the Romance wear off, one need rock solid love. A love that sees you at the worst and still love you. A love that will forgive you, when you fall down and pick you up again...You want someone, who loves you because he/she can't live without you..."

The good news is that we are not alone, Jesus is with us, our lover that is the same yesterday today & forever...His love for us is eternal! For God so love us, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. God loves us, personally, powerfully & passionately. Others have promised & failed, But God has promised & succeeded. He loves us with an unfailing love, isn't it Good to know that Even when We don't love with a perfect love, Jesus does?

Some sharing:

The secret to loving is living loved. This is the forgotten first step in relationships. Since Jesus is kind to us, why don't we be kind to ourselves [just like me avoiding relationship] ? He forgives our faults. Why don't we do the same? He thinks tomorrow is worth living. Why don't you agree? [I am so silly I once thought of ending my life due to fail relationship, have you?]

I rejoiced to feel the peace & presence of Jesus in a tangible way, despite the pain of singleness. Jesus withholds what we desire in order to give us what we need. We desire a spouse; He gives Himself! Love never celebrates misfortune. You know your love is real when you weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. Real love changes people. Love is willing to accept all things. Love always protects.

No one has unfailing love. No person can love with perfection. Surely no one can, but Jesus is not a person. Unlike our love, His never fails. His love is immensely different from ours. Our love depends on the receiver of the love. Our love is regulated by their appearances, by their personalities. Even we find a few people we like, our feeling will fluctuate. How they treat us will affect how we love them. The receiver regulates our love.

The good news is, it is not so with the Love of Jesus. We have no thermostatic impact on His love for us. The love of Jesus is born from within Him, not from where He finds in us. His love is uncaused & spontaneous. Does Jesus love us because of our goodness? Because of our kindness, & great faith? No He loves us because of His goodness, kindness & great faith as it is written in the Bible, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us." [1 John 4:10 NIV]

Doesn't this thought comfort us? God's love does not hinge on yours. The abundance of our love does not increase His. The lack of our love does not diminish His. Our goodness does not enhance His love, nor does our weakness dilute it. What a wonderful God we have! Christ our source of mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts & strengthens us in our hardship & trials!

For this Valentine:

To the grief stricken: "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" [Heb 13:5 NIV]

To the guilt ridden: "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" [Rom 8:1 NIV]

To the jobless: "In all things God works for the good of those who love him" [Rom 8:28 NIV]

To those who feel beyond God's grace: "Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" [John 3:16 NIV]

Inspired by Max Lucado...

Is your Grace sufficient?

2006-02-08T00:37:00.000+08:00

A sister in Christ had just sent me a verse to put my trust in God for ONLY He is able to keep me till the end. I have been unwell [Fever, Sinus, Flu & throat infection] stressed related since the 29th of month of January, I was busy with mum & my siblings to prepare for the festive season [Chinese Lunar New Year] as we need to do visitation to relatives during C.N.Y, attend dinner celebration etc...

"And this is why I am suffering as I do. Still I am not ashamed, for I know [perceive, have knowledge of & am acquainted with] Him Whom I have believed [adhered to & trusted in & relied on] and I am [positively] persuaded that He is able to guard & keep that which has been entrusted to me & which I committed [to Him] until that day." 2 Tim 1:12 [Amplified Bible]

The Lord woke me up with another verse nothing unfamiliar but with great impact I expect good things to happen to ALL as the Words of the Lord is full of loving-kindness, the Divine Healing. Amen?!

"But He said to me, My Grace [My favor & loving-kindness & mercy] is enough for you [sufficient against any danger & enables you to bear the trouble manually]; For my strength & power are made perfect [fulfilled & completed] & show themselves most effective in [Your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more glady glory in my weaknesses & infirmities, that strength & power of Christ [the Messiash) may rest [yes, may pitch a tent over & dwell on me!" 2 Cor 12:9 [Amplified Bible]

Some Sharing:

A long as Jesus is one of many options, He is no option.
As long as you can carry your burdens alone, you don't need a burden bearer.
As long as your situation brings you no grief, you will recieve No comfort.
And as long as you can take Him or leave Him, you might well leave him, because He won't be taken half-heartedly.

But when you mourn, when you get to the point of sorrow of sins, when you admit that you have no other option but to cast all your cares on Him, & When there is truely no other name that you can call, then cast ALL your cares on Him, for He is awaiting in the midst of the storm...Just for you...

Tour of Duty...

2006-02-06T01:17:00.000+08:00

2nd of February, 2006, I drove my brother & mother to the airport as my brother is ending his military training after this last 4 weeks training in Thailand. My younger sister was asleep & my Dad stayed at home to look after her. Please pray with me for his safety...My only brother...My beloved...

F.Y.I [Readers of Brothers & Sisters overseas] For every Singapore citizens, we have the mandatory obligation to serve the Nation for 1 year 10 months. I am the unlucky ones who served 2 years, 6 months in the past.

I laid my hand on my brother before he entered the departure gate, I found that I can hardly prayed in inspiration (in words) more in the spirit, I wonder is that a good? What are your opinions? I prefer writing...

There were brothers & sisters who asked me if I understand what I am praying, when I pray in Spirit, my answer is "Yes" but I do not know such prayer has syllabus. Personally, I believe it is a hidden prayer "Mr. Sa Tan" will never have the ability to understand. Praying in Spirit is like your 'chemistry' bonding between two love ones, as we are Jesus Bride Amen?!

I believe prayer in the spirit is a charisma or can aid us to be charismatic in our World of reality. I have a heap load of work yet to be done as every Monday we have insane meetings & conference. Yet I believe, "But Seek First His kingdom & His righteousness, & ALL these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33 I expect Jesus’ favors over my work & grant me the wisdom to go through another exciting week of my life!

Pastor Prince today shared about the High Priest, led us to [Hebrews 4 14-16]

"In as much then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended & pass through Heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him]. For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand & sympathize & have a shared feeling with our weakness & infirmaries & ability to the assaults of temptation but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet, without sinning. Let us then fearlessly & confidently & boldly draw near to the throne of Grace [The throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners], that we may receive need [appropriate help & well-timed help, coming just when we need it]." [Amplified Bible].

How Bless! We have an almighty God, not mighty mouse! His name is Jesus, who has been tempted in every aspects, yet without sinning. He came willing from Heaven to Earth, how humble, being the Only Son of God, Kinds of Kings to understand us, shared our feeling & weakness in our life.

We cannot turn around & snap, "But He is God, I am human, God can't understand. Can He understand my financial problem? My depressing heart-break with my love ones? Can He understand My Dad is in the hospital fighting for his life?" Jesus is the way. He not only can understand all, He can reverse the situation, where there seem to be NO WAY! Our God we serve is not only a living God; He is a good God with ever-lasting love & compassion..

Some sharing, Certain things about God are easy to imagine. I can imagine Him creating the World & suspending the stars. I can envision Him as almighty, all-powerful, & in control. I can fathom a God who knows me, who needs me, & I can even fathom a God who hears me. But a God who hears me. But a God who is in love with me? A God who is crazy for me? A God who die for me?

That’s message of the Bible, Our Father is relentlessly in pursuit of His children. He has called us home with his words, paved the path with His Blood, & is longing for our arrival that is our God Amen?! When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we can use any tragedy as a stumbling block or a stepping stone...God wants us to trust him in good times & the bad Amen?!

Let us think about God's joy. What can cloud it? What can quench it? What can kill it? Is God ever refused to rotate the earth because His feelings are hurt? No! Jesus is a joy which consequences cannot quench. Jesus is peace which circumstances can't steal.

God does not save us because of what we've done. Only a puny God could be bought with tithes. Only an egotistical God would be impressed with our pain. Only a temperamental God could satisfied by sacrifices. Only a heart less God would sell salvation to the highest bidders. And only a Great God does for His children what they can't do for themselves...

Thank you Jesus! Have you received Him as your Savior? Have you 'back-slide' thinking God will never want such a sinner, The Lord said, it is the sick that needs the doctor...Come back to Jesus...let Him take away all your emotional, physical or mental pain. "It is finished 2000 years ago" your every stripes, He took it on His broken body, the crown of thorns removing ALL emotional or mental deceptions the Devil 'creates' for you, all on the Old rugged Cross...

Are you prepared for His arrival?

2006-01-30T18:07:00.000+08:00

Still meditating on John 14... 2 Corinthians 11:2 says, "I promised to give you to Christ, as your only husband. I want to give you as His pure bride." There is no doubt that Jesus can live without us, but He doesn't want to. He longs for his bride. Who could bear to live without this bride? Some reading for sharing...

Look long enough into the eyes of the Savior &, there, too, you will see a bride. Dressed in fine linen. Clothed in pure grace. From the wreath in her hair to the clouds at her feet, she is royal; she is the princess. She is the bride. Walking toward him, she is not yet with him. But He sees her, He awaits her, He long for her...

Who is this beauty who occupies the heart of Jesus? He loves His creation & creation groans to be with Him, but He never called creation His bride. It is not His angels. His angels are ever present to worship & serve Him, but He never called the heavenly beings His bride. Then who? Who is the bride about whom Jesus speaks & for Jesus longs? Who is this maiden who has captured the heart of God's only son?

You & Me! We have captured the heart of God, "As a man rejoices over His new wife, so your God will rejoice over you" [Isa. 62:5]. The challenge is to remember that. To meditate on it. To focus on it. To allow His love to change the way you look at you. Do you ever feel unnoticed? New clothes & styles may help for a while. But if you want permanent change, learn to see yourself as God sees you: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God: for He has clothed me with the garments of Salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks Himself with a garland, & as a bride adorns herself with her jewels" [Isa 61:10] [Amplified Bible].

Does your self esteem ever sag? When it does, remember what you are worth. "You must know [recognize] that you were redeemed [ransomed] from the useless [fruitless] way of living inherited by tradition from [your] forefathers, not with corruptible things [such as] silver & gold. But [You were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ [the Messiah, like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot. [1 Peter 1:18-19] [Amplified Bible]

Are you concerned whether the love will last? You needn't be. "It is not our love for God, it is God's love for us in sending His son to be the way to take away our sins" [1 John 4:10]

Ever feel like you have nothing? Just look at the gifts He has given us: He has sent His angels to care for us, His Holy Spirit to dwell in us, His church to encourage Us, & His word to guide us. We have privileges only a fiancée could have. Anytime you speak, He listens; make a request & He responds. He will never let you be tempted too much or stumble too far.

Let a tear appear on our cheek, & He is there to wipe it. Let a love sonnet appear on your lips, & He is there to hear it. As much as you want to see Him, He wants to see you more...

Family Fiasco...John 4:19 -21

2006-01-30T08:18:00.000+08:00

"We love because He first loved us. If anyone say, "I love God," & hates his brother [detests, abominates), he is a liar for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment (charge order, injunction) We have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother."1 John 4:19-21

Can change verbs : Sister/Name of relative or friends in Christ

First day of Lunar New, I ended up heated words with my mum & Dad. I had 'horned' many dangerous drivers on the road or should it be away around? O' Godwyn what happened, why were there such much frustrations, that's the work of the Devil trying really hard to break the bonding of the family as we finally went for a Church service as a family. Satan wants to remove the seeds before such grow...

As my sister was the last want to leave the car, I witnessed 3 doors of the vehicle was closed & I wanted to shut the last door, she came out late, I unintentionally hit her hand. You know what was the first reaction without listening to any explanation? My mum threw away all the mandarin oranges onto the road, created a scene, sitting down on the payment of car park. My sister is the princess of not the house, the World & the Universe...crowned by Mother...

She is the only daughter in the family, I understand naturally, she might be 'spoilt' in some sense. My parents then had not received Salvation while raising my sister, how I wish I can share the Proverbs 22:15 "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him." What about the next line, Proverbs 23:13 hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. You shall strike him with the rod And rescue his soul from Sheol." I am bless to receive the blessing of the rod since young.

I attended FCBC's church services in the morning as New Creation was at indoor stadium, starting 4.30 p.m, not really a good timing for the festive season. In Lunar New Year, the chinese will visit families as a custom, fellowship or 'gossip'. Have you watched the show "I am not stupid, Part II?" It is quite amazing how Jack Neo relates our daily life, where a child seldom get compliments but just nagging, overkill their confidence, interest & family life. Parents are constantly looking for their Child's faults, seldom praise, just nag. Proverbs 21:9 "It is better to live in a corner of a roof. Than in a house shared with a contentious woman."

Oh for my incident, my mum did not even nag, she went 'insane', before my syster started crying, my mum threw all the bags of oranges on the street as I describe before, I did no know was she targeting me or her skill was really bad as Praise God, no orange on me! Ha-ha No Weapons shall form against me in the name of Amen?! Christ Jesus! It was a small incident but it depends of the parties involvement & how space they need to cool down & think with a right mind. Jesus is the prince of peace, I pray that I have His ways in me daily...Do you?

Psalm 139

2006-01-29T23:09:00.000+08:00

Beauty of Pslam 91 [Amplified Bible]

O Lord, you have searched me [throughly] & have known me.
You know my downsitting & my uprising; You understand my thought afar off.
You sift & Search out my path & my lying down, & You are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my tongue still [unuttered], but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.

You have beset me & shut me in - behind & before, & You have laid Your hand upon me.
Your [infinite] knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high above me, I cannot reach it. Where could I go from Your Spirit? Or where could I flee from your presence? If I ascend up in heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there shall Your hand lead me, & Your right hand shall hold me. I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me & the night shall be [the only] light about the me.

Even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness & the light are both alike You. For You did form my inwards parts; You did knit me together in my mother's womb.I will confess & praise You for You are fearful & wonderful & for the awful wonder of birth! Wonderful are Your works, & that my inner self knows right well.

My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately & curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various color] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness & mystery].

Your eyes saw my unfirmed substance, an in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.How precious & weighty also are your thoughts to me. O God! How vast is the sum of them!

If I could count them, they would be more in number than sand. When I awoke, [could I count to the end] I would still be with You.If You would [only] slay the wicked. O God, & the men of blood depart from me.

Who speak against You wickedly, Your enemies who take Your name in Vain!
Do I not hate them. O Lord, who hate you? And am I not grieved & do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with perfect hatred; they have become my enemies.

Search me [throughly], O God, & know my heart! try me & know my thoughts!
And see if there is an wicked or hurtful way in me, & lead me in the way everlasting.

Too busy to read a thanksgiving?

2006-01-27T20:38:00.000+08:00

An Inspiring Email from Sister in Christ, When I most needed Jesus to embrace me:

Her Testimony:

Hey Godwyn

How have you been? I hope you are on top of your work now (You’re on my daily standard prayer list! That means you have a friend in me~). (=

I’ve been giving thanks for a particular thing and I want to share it with you because you’re related to it. I was backsliding during Christmas time until New Year in 2005. It was due to a person in my church whom I’d respected a lot but he became a bad example cos of something he did. It affected me quite a bit to the extent that my trust in God swayed. It happened during my exam period, so I conveniently used studying as an excuse to not attend my weekly Youth Fellowship meetings and action group (u’ll call it care group) meetings. I hung out with my close friends (non-believers) and they were like my support. I remember I was so far away from God that I couldn’t sing praises to Him, meaning every word in the lyrics. I just walked out of church straight after service, not wanting to fellowship with fellow believers.

Then God sent you in that phase that I was going through. I remember our godly chats and constant thanksgiving to God. For the first few times, I thought you are a ridiculous person to msn and keep praising God like that to me. I even thought it was a total waste of time. But somehow what you quoted about where two or three have come together in my name, God will be amongst us, really did bless the time that we talked about God’s goodness. I don’t know how and when, but I returned back to God and for a moment I felt Joy in my heart getting back with Him. God does things in the most amazing ways. I was thinking that He used you because I would be less repulsive to you than my other Christian leaders cos you’re a stranger. The sight of them coming up to me makes me wanted to run! It doesn’t matter how because He is God and has the best plan for all who calls him Father! Amen!?!

I am thankful that God did not let me wander off. My favourite Psalm when I am down is 139. It reminds me of who God is. I can run from Him but I can’t hide and He knows my every thoughts and every word that I utter under my breath. Someone told me that Psalms is the most beautiful book in the bible because of how descriptive and much resemblance it bears to ones life. I didn’t understand what she was saying… but I do now! (=

You know, my conservative church is skeptical of how modern churches worship. I was influenced to a certain extent but thank God I am starting to have a mind of my own, not like a child feeding on milk. It’s because of your great faith in God that I stepped out of my comfort zone to see the other side of the coin. (I visited your church with one of my sisters-in-Christ! heh.. finally.. After being warned many times to be careful about not being stumbled. * big grins *) I am telling you that you are a good example that convinced me that non-conservative Christians truly love God too! (= I am not embracing this new perspective of worship (not just the praising of God) and still have my reserves.. but the presence of the love for God is undeniable. I thank God that I did go to New Creation myself having to see what it really is like, rather than hearing so much about it and still wonder if it is true.

Look to Jesus and ride above the storm of work, of deceptive lies of the devil, of disappointments, of weariness, of trials etc.. Trusting in God is living out our faith. Amen?

My Words:

Dear Sister in Christ,

I am so bless to have you. You have brought me so much comfort after the dear loss of my beloved uncle and I had been deeply rooted myself with work to stay away the pain.

God had brought me many comfort during these 2 weeks of grief and I am so glad to know not only God is for me, all around me love me so much, the God we serve is a good God, Amen?! I had crossed quite a number of people on the net [through MSN] whom experience similar 'backsliding'. I boast not of how much I love God but how much God loves me!

HE is the one who is almighty and praise HIM that I was used to bring you back to our Father who loves us more than any in the World we live. Beyond the universe, the hell or Heaven! Your email means alot to me with every words like a sweet smelling aroma from Jesus.

I have a request, can I upload your email to my 'blog' as many will be inspired by your words and your testimony. I hope to share how the Lord will upheld His love in all circumstances of life. Many a time, we left the truth that HE is with us through eternal life and thought God is far away looking down from Heaven wondering how we are. In all to say, thank you for sharing and lifted my spirit to know I am upheld by His Love!

Cheers,

Godwyn Lim [Uploaded with blessing from Sister in Christ]

The Alpha & the Omega...

2006-01-17T17:52:00.000+08:00

"I am the Alpha & the Omega..." Say the Lord, indeed He is the first & the Last. My uncle departed from the World yet I feel the peace as I know he is with the Lord & one fine day I will hug him in Heaven, with happy tears...When the life support system was lifted from him, I was one of the first to enter the Intensive Care Unit as I wanted to lay hand on him, with hope of his revival...as I prayed in Spirit he did the last miracle move [while in coma], turning his head, moving his lips, unfortunately we can't hear or understand...

I felt in my heart, the Lord is bringing him back that night but I keep hoping for a miracle that non of the family members believe...that evening, my family wanted to head home as my sister had to attend class the next day while my brother had to return back to camp to serve in the army...I protested but accepted the reality. I rushed back in the night, bringing a brother in Christ along to pray for him as it is written in the Bible, when two or more are gathered, our Lord's presence will be felt...

Manage to reach Hospital around 10 p.m. but got delayed answering a business call. 10th of January 2006, at 10.02 p.m. uncle left with the Lord...I was there 10 minutes late...I wanted to hold his hands till his end but it was too late. I could not help but to tear & instantly the Devil attacked my mind, "If Only you did not entertain the phone call...If only you paid attention to the hospital entry & not got yourself lost...If only..."

All that mattered, matters no more, just for Christ to come...I thank all for the postings, emails, mobile text msg etc that kept me focusing on the perfect work, Christ has done on the cross, thank you all beloved ones! John 14: 1-3 [Amplified Bible] says "Do not let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in & adhere to & trust in & rely also on Me...I will come back again & take you to Myself, that where I am you may also be." How comforting the verse came...

The Lord promised to return Himself to bring us back to Heaven where we belong...We just do the trusting and Jesus will do the taking, O' what a good God He is, our living Saviour...John MacArthur's defination of eternal life, "Heaven is the perfect place for people made perfect." Amen?! Some sharing...

Why would God go to such efforts to reclaim us? What good are we to Him? He must have his reasons because two thousand years ago, He entered the murky waters of our world in search of his children. And on all who will allow Him to do so, He lays His claim & tags His name, "I will come back," Christ says. We do not know when He will come for us. We do not know how He will come for us. And, we really do not even know why He would come for us. Oh, we have our ideas & opinions. But most of what we have is faith. Faith that He has ample space & a prepared place &, at the right time, He will come so that we can be where He is...It is up to us to do the trusting...

"No one knows when that day or time wil be, not the angels in heaven, not even the Son. Only the Father knows...So always be ready, because we don't know the day our Lord will come..The Son of Man will come at a time you don't expect Him" (Matt. 24:36, 42-44)

God has made the promise to us. "I will come back...,"He assures us. Yes, the rocks will tumble. Yes, the ground will shake. But the Child of God needn't fear - for the Father has promised to take us to be with Him. But dare we believe that promise? Dare we trust His loyalty? Isn't there a cautious part of us that wonders how reliable these words may be? I do not know about you, but I trust in Him...especially witnessing how sudden death can be...

Final Hours - When We wonder if Our Prayers Matter

2006-01-10T02:40:00.000+08:00

The conference was tensed and intensive as the Doctor provided final advises to the families about my beloved Uncle. We were advised by the doctor there will be 5% chance of my uncle recovering, even so, he would not be able to survive for more than 6 months with Lung Cancer. I kept myself cool as I can be quite impulsive, in my mind I was thinking, "You guys are playing God." I do not believe in chance, fate or pathetic of all, luck...

The life support system would be removed from my uncle much later in the evening [ Not more than 12 hours from now]. Uncle will have to depend on his own lungs to breath, meaning his possibilities of death can be instant or just a matter of hours, the least days...

The doctor made it clear that even we manage to get my uncle back from coma, he will be facing another life challenge with Lung Cancer. I expected, every reports are highly scientific, and I gently asked the doctor if he had witnessed miracles in his line of work, & isn't the 'definition of miracle' is when ALL failed & an out of ordinary situation arise! "For nothing will be impossible with God." Luke 1:17

To cut the story short, let us pray in faith that My Uncle would recover, to be a strong testimony of our living God, how much Jesus loves us! On the other hand, since He had received the Salvation Prayer, my life with him will be eternal with love! Amen?! The family is spilt into other religion at this moment against the Christians but I do not believe in religion but the relationship with Jesus, Holy Spirit and Abba, Daddy in Heaven for they love us heaps! I been trying my best not to be involved in such politics...

These are the final hours, I expect my Uncle to awake & be a good testimony for our living God, if it is time for him to be with the Lord, I will have the shalom...Pray with us please as my uncle dotes on me & spend years looking after me since I am a naughty baby to a man of 'Grace & Polish' [praying to be]...

Here is some sharing from my readings mostly on prayers. Some of us pray like a super sonic aircraft- smooth, sleek, high & almighty. Your words reverberate in the clouds & send sonic booms throughout the Heavens...I believe most of our prayers lives could use a tune-up. Some prayer lives lack consistency. They're either a desert or an oasis. Long arid, dry spells interrupted by brief plunges into the waters of communion...

We go days or weeks without consistent prayer, but then something happens - we hear a sermon, read a book, experience a tragedy - something leads us to pray, so we dive in. We submerge ourselves in prayer & leave refreshed & renewed. But as the journey resumes, our prayers don't...

Others of us need sincerity. Our prayers are a bit hollow, memorized, & rigid. More liturgy than life. And thought they were daily, they are dull. Still others lacks, well, honesty. We honesty wonder if prayer makes a difference. Why on earth would God in Heaven want to talk to me? If God knows all, who am I to tell him anything? If God controls all, who am I to do anything?

The Power is not in the prayer; it's in the one who hears it. Would God not hear you? At times, I prayed out of desperation. "If you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us." Does my prayer sounds courageous? Confident? Strong? Hardly. One word would have made a lot of difference. Instead of If, what if I'll since. "Since you can do anything for him, please have pity on us & help us. But that's not what I said. I said IF. The Greek is even more emphatic. The tense implies doubt...

If your prayer sounds like mine, don't be discouraged, for that's where prayer begins. It begins as a yearning. An honest appeal. No pretense. No boasting. No posturing. Just prayer. Feeble prayer, but prayer nonetheless!

We are tempted to wait to pray until we know how to pray. We've heard the prayers of the spiritually mature. We've read of the rigors of disciplined. And we are convinced we've a long way to traverse. Let us not wait but keep praying...start NOW Amen?!

God is more moved by our hurt than our eloquence, He will response Amen?! "for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not in any way degree leave you helpless nor forsaken nor let [you] down [relax My hold onyou] [Assuredly not!] So we take comfort and are encouraged & confidently and bodly say, The Lord is my helper: I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to us?" Amplified Bible Heb 13:5-6

Jesus loves us. Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it & not the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference...

Uncle in Coma - Please Pray with Us

2006-01-07T23:50:00.000+08:00

"Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree [harmonize together, make a symphony together] about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My father in Heaven]. For wherever two or three are gathered [drawn together as My followers] in [into] my name, there I AM in the midst of them. " Matt 18:19-20 [Amplified Bible]...

That is the wonders of fellowship, the gathering of faith, that move mountains...It's been three days since my uncle went into coma after the operation [Lung Cancer]. I ask that you will pray with me for a new lung my uncle needs & only Christ Jesus alone can perform such as He is our living God! "Martha then said to Jesus, "Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died" John 11:21

Her words have been echoed in a thousand cemeteries. "If you..." If I you were doing your part, God, my uncle would have survived. If only you'd have heard my prayer, God, my arms wouldn't be empty...When we faced death, our definition of God is challenged. Which in turn, challenges our faith. Which leads us to ask a grave question. Why is it that we interpret the presence of death as the absence of God? Is healing the only way God demonstrates His presence?

Sometimes we think so. And as a result, When God doesn't answer our prayers for healing, we get angry. Resentful. Blame replaces belief. "If you had been here, doing your part, God, then this death would not have happened." NO I would not want to be Martha, I choose to believe "Jesus is the resurrection & the life; he who believes in Jesus will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives & believes in Jesus will never die. Do you believe?" John 11: 25

Not everyone believe in the Lord, from our big family of relatives & friends. The conflicts between whom believe in Christ & the idols have started even before the death of my uncle. I believe God will give my uncle a choice of leaving this World to Heaven or heal him with miracle as it would be disastrous for the family to choose the funeral services for my uncle...Wait! I will not look at our flesh but the perfect work on the cross! Amen?!

"Jesus said, Remove the stone." Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God. So they removed the stone. Jesus just shouted "Lazarus come forth." John 11:39-43

[The stone is the same stone where the God engraved on the Law, the ten commandment & the stench symbolize our flesh. The resurrection of Lazarus is the resurrection of Christ Jesus in us! Halleluiah! Jesus had removed the stone [Law] & we are resurrected just as Lazarus, be it 3 or 4 days in a grave! Amen?!]

John said, "The man who had died came forth, bound hand & foot wrappings, & his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Let's read the 7 words of the verse again, "The man who had died came forth." Louder! "The man who had died came forth!" What's the big deal Godwyn?

Question: What's wrong with this picture?

Answer: Dead men don't walk out of tombs.

Question: What's kind of God is this?

Answer: The God who holds the keys to life & death

The God we serve is a good God! The God we serve is a living God! It is written in the Bible, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, & with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those departed this life in Christ will rise first." 1 these 4:16 [Amplified Bible]

It's God's problem to resolve & I shall just pray for my Uncle...Believing even those departed this life in Christ will rise first...I will see my Uncle through eternity...on earth or as in Heaven...

Light of the World...

2006-01-04T23:19:00.000+08:00

"Arise [from depression & prostration in which circumstances have kept you - rise to a new life]! Shine (Be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, & the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! Isaiah 60:1 [Amplified Bible] Let us rise to a new life of 2006 & SHINE with the light of Lord, Christ Jesus, whom loves us deeply...Amen?!

While we were enjoying our year end long holiday, with our families and friends, the Lord is with us, always...Are you aware of His presence? My new year eve was spent at the hospital with my uncle as He battled with Cancer. Had not have the time to visit him yet as He went through another operation today, yet I know the Lord is with Him! I reminded myself, God's efforts are strongest when our efforts are useless!

When Jesus tells us to stand, Let's stand.

When He says we're forgiven, let's unload the guilt.

When He says we're valuable, let's believe him.

When He says we're eternal, let's bury our fear.

When He says we're provided for, let's stop worrying.

When Jesus says "Stand up," for this year 2006,

Let's Just Do it!

A Heart like Jesus...

2005-12-27T00:57:00.000+08:00

How's Christmas for all? Boxing Day was over, I am sure you are blessed with heaps of Gifts with the Lord's Blessing...As for me, I happened to be unwell on the eve of Christmas till now. I dragged myself up for an early service at the Indoor Stadium for the Christmas Celebration as I expect the presence of God to open up the flood gates of blessing & Healing...

Pastor Prince led us into healing rally & when I prayed in Spirit, I felt 'the spin' & 'warmth' of Holy Spirit embracing me, healing me. I did not receive immediate healing but within a day with High Fever, Flu, Throat Infection & more, the progressive healing came a few hours ago, & I give the Glory to our Lord Jesus as He loves us beyond our understanding...

Still have piles of workload to clear & here I am, to share as when I opened my diary, a bookmark imprinted read, "But Seek first His Kingdom & His Righteousness, and ALL these things will be given to you as well." Matt 6:33 Amen?! His favors & Wisdom always lead us to 12 baskets FULL...not LACK...

God doesn't love us and leave us alone; He loves us enough to live wihin us, making our hearts like His home. Jesus wants us to have a heart like His..."Let this same attitude & purpose & [Humble] mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus; [Let Him be your example of humility] " Phil 2: 5 Amplified Bible

God wants us to be just like Jesus. He wants us to have a heart like His. God loves us the way we are. If we think His love for us would be stronger if our faith were, you are wrong. If you think His love would be deeper if your thoughts were, wrong again! The love for people often increases with performance & decrease with mistakes. Not so with God's love He loves you where you are. God loves you just the way you are and He will turn the worst to be the best, that's how much our Abba in Heaven loves us...

Our God is a good God, what is new Godwyn? The Sunday service led me back to flash backs of incidents, just 2 years back, I back-slided to the extreme end of worshipping idols for my deteriorating health. Cut the story short, the Lord led me back to Church where I thought I can RIP forever, since I believe in the Lord when I was at very young age...

Pastor Lawrence kept sharing the essence of Holy Communion, communion to me was just a piece of bread & Ribena. In my mind, I was thinking, since I drank so much 'Holy' water from all idols, so Just do it! Weeks after weeks, the words that echoed in my mind is "Godwyn, Jesus Loves You." from Pastor Lawrence. I could not accept the fact that Jesus STILL loves me as instead of worshipping the Lord, I went to the idols! The breakthrough came when I receive the Grace message & I stop condemning myself! Healing came with cheetah speed, all I can say is amazing grace! How sweet that Sound! That saved a wretch like me...How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first Believed...

Okay Back to Jesus: Our hearts seem so far from Jesus. He is pure; we are greedy. He is peaceful; we are hassled. He is purposeful; we are distracted. He is pleasant; we are cranky. He is spiritual; we are earthbound. The distance between our heart & His seems so immese how can we ever hope to have the heart of Jesus?

You already do! If you are in Christ, you already have the heart of Christ. One of the supreme yet unrealized promises of God is simply this: if you have given your life to Jesus, Jesus has given Himself to you. Says who? The Bible, "I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to & reliance on & complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me & gave Himself up for me." Gal 2:20 amplified Bible... AMEN?!

More good news? "Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictate of the flesh, but after the dictate of the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin & death." Romans 8:1-2 Amplified Bible...Does it means the verse from above, we can sin & account for no condemnation?

Stop! Think for awhile...Knowing our Lord who loves us so much, would you want to sin? Yet, do not draw yourself to be away from God when you sin as such is a deception of the Devil, drifting you away from Jesus from your quilty conscience. If we are to do such, it will put us back with the first Adam, Jesus Christ died for us in vain...

Jesus came to save humanity from its sin, "For the Son of Man came to seek & to save that which was lost." [Luke 19:10 Amplified Bible] Won't it be Ironic for God to save us & condemn us? Let us "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author & perfecter of faith, for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, & has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"... Heb: 12:2 [NASB]

If God is for us, who can be against us?

2005-12-17T23:34:00.000+08:00

How shall we overcome our tribulations or temptations? Have we forgotten God is for us for one moment? 3 Days back, I visited my Uncle with mum but Uncle refused to speak much this time. I can see in his eyes the joy of receiving us, yet why is he so cold? For that moment, I fail to remember, "What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?]" Amplified Bible Romans 8:31...

I shared my thoughts with mum and her explanation is somewhat I never thought of...Uncle was diagnosed to suffer from tuberculosis apart from cancer. He did not want us to get near him as tuberculosis can be infectious...he has a heart like Jesus, Uncle would rather bear his pain alone as I believe in his heart, he knows Christ had taken it away at the perfect work on the old rugged cross...

Who is against us? Disease, inflation, corruption, exhaustion. Calamities confront, and fear imprison. "God is for us!" "God is for us!" "God is for us" "God is for us" is that loud enough for you to remember? God is for you & me! Our parents may have forgotten us, our teachers may have neglected us, our siblings may be ashamed of us; but within reach of our prayers is the maker of the Universe. ABBA!

God is for us! Not "may be", not "has been", not "was", not "would be", but "God is!" He is for us! As you read this, with no need to wait in line or come back tomorrow, He is with us. Christ is for us! His loyalty won't increase if we are better nor lessen if we are worse. Jesus is for us! Jesus is always cheering us in our 'run' in life! Look past the finish line, that's Jesus applauding our steps. Too tired to continue? He'll carry us! Too discouraged to fight? He's picking us up! "The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?" Psalm 118:6

Abba has a tattoo on Him for us, did you know that? It says in Isaiah 49:16, "Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.." In verse 15, it reads, "Can a woman forget her nursing child And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you!" God is with us Amen?! Knowing that, who can be against us? Can death harm us now? Can disease rob us life? Can our purpose be taken or our value diminished? NO! Though hell itself may set itself against us, no one can DEFEAT us! We are protected with the promise of Palsm 91 "A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you!" Halleluiah! Halleluiah! Halleluiah! Aren't you glad God is for us?...

Yet, at that moment I was worried about my Uncle. We often worry don't we? We worry that we won't have enough money, and when we have money we worry that we won't manage it well. We worry that the World will end before our parking coupon expires. Aren't all these thoughts ironic? Would God teach us to walk just to watch us fall? Would Jesus be nailed to the cross for our sins and then disregard our prayers?

Are you aware that we are constantly being watched over? The Bible says, "For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience & service] Palsm 91:11 Amplified The last incident months or years back when we were nearly knocked down by a bus is not avoided because we are "Heng" [Dialect, meaning luck]. It is not Mr. Heng who saves you, it's our Almighty God & savior, Jesus Christ our Lord Amen?! Are you convinced that God is for us? I am...

Man has no way, but God always has a way...

2005-12-12T18:43:00.000+08:00

Been feeding on His words, mostly from Pastor Prince's teaching, Max Lucardo's books & Holy Spirit. Haven't been sharing for awhile as I had been lazy and had that 'I must read more' self effort before I can pen down anything. Awesome thoughts & reading to share...

"A person is made right with God through faith, not through obeying the law." [Romans 3:28] Self-salvation simply does not work and we have no way to save ourself, yet God has a way, it is call 'Grace' the much debated undeserved favour! "Every good gift & perfect (free, large, full) gifts is from above; it comes down from the Father of all...our Abba, Daddy God" [James 1:17] Salvation is God-given, God-driven, God originated & God empowered. This gift is not from man to God...

The Bible says, "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us & sent His Son to be propitiation (astoning sacrifice) for our sins. [1 John 4:10 Amplified Bible] It leads to the creation of Grace from God. Our approach to God is similar to the bartering system; if I do this, God will do that. We often think, I'm saved by works [what I do], emotions [what I experience], or knowledge [what I know]...Is that the way God is all about?

God's highest dream is not to make us rich, not to make us successful or popular or famous but to make us right with Him. I am not saying that God makes us poor or pathetic to let us know He is Almighty God! In our 'rat race' fast paced society, we often battle daily for higher pay, higher post, higher status in term to have more wealth. We get confuse that wealth can provide us more comfort such as a bigger house, a better car, yet happiness is not measured by what we have, it is measured by our level of satisfaction, our degree of being loved...

God has to keep his integrity that no law is to be compromised for He is holy. Our Father in Heaven loves us so much but He cannot relax the standards of judgement. He cannot encourage us with our mistakes [sins] we naturally will make with our human nature. How can God be merciful and fair at the same time? How can He offer grace without endorsing mistakes? How can God punish the sin & love sinner? Is God going to lower his standard so we can be forgiven? Is God going to look away and pretend we have never sinned? Would You and I want a God who can altered the rules & make exceptions? I don't...

In Romans 2:11 It says, "For there is no partiality with God." We are judged in the same way, no favour or unfairness. If our Sin has no price, we will Sin on won't we? If our sin brings no pain, we will sin on won't we? How then can God compromise His Holiness and enable our evil? Is there any way God could honour the integrity of heaven without turning his back on us? How can God do both that sinners being punished and being loved?

There is a man who commit no sin. He has never broken a law, not one violation, not one trespass, not even a lie, be it white, blue or muliti-coloured! He had took our place, was punished for what WE did wrong. His name is Jesus, our Lord & Saviour! "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the JUST for the UNJUST, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh but made alive in spirit" [1 Peter 3:18] By his death He satisfied the demands of sins.

Jesus suffered not like a sinner but as a sinner. He was punished for OUR SINS on the cross, Son of God, crying "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Lamb of God, roasted on fire, suffered for our sins. God does not condone our sins nor does He compromise His standard. He does not dismiss our sin he assumes our sin and, incredibly sentences himself. God's holiness is honoured. Our sin is punished and we are REDEEMED! God is still God! The wages of Sin is still death but we are made perfect, "For by one suffering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified." Hebrews 10:14

For this month, I have come across brothers & sisters in Christ suffered from stress leading to physical illness, from stress leading to mental pain such as depression, panic attacks, from stress leads to emotional distress of heart breaks. I just prayed that we will look away from our physical signs that the Devil had created, a deception against the perfect work on the cross. Our Sins are all taken away with every records of wrong, nailed it to the cross Amen?! Christ will suffer in vain if we think we do not deserve the healing...

Living in the 21st century, stress has transformed to the World Number One killer...Yet Jesus has paid for it ALL with His crown of torns. He wore on the cross for your stress; He knows when Satan come & lie making you believe that you are dying when you hyper ventilate with your panic attacks...He has suffered for you & me even before the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane where "His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground" Luke 22:44

How could a loving God feel anything less for you and me? Believe the truth, We are healed by His stripes, by the beating He bores, by His precious blood shed on the cross...

Jesus is our ultimate source of freedom...from our pain...sorrow...bitterness...without Jesus all are lost...God justifies the believer, not because of the worthiness of His belief, but because of Christ's worthiness...Our God is abundant in love & steadfast in mercy. He saves us, not because we trust in a symbol, but because we trust in a Savior...

Pray for my Uncle - Cancer Generation Curse?

2005-11-24T02:46:00.000+08:00

The dim room was lighted up as the day was cold & wet with the rain. For the first time, I visited my '3rd Uncle' whom I often address, in 'Hokkien' or 'Mandarin' since he was discharged from the hospital...I did not expect such outcome as my Uncle seems to be quite fit in my memory...

My first thought was "Generation Curse" in my mind as my grandfather, my Uncle passed away from Cancer, many more to name, but I quickly bind that in a name above all, Jesus. Uncle held on to my hand while I held back my tears, looking at him, with his open wound and physical pain...I was confused...

"Uncle you look good! How is your appetite? Did you rest well? Are you drinking enough water...Uncle I heard you receive the good news of Lord Jesus Christ..." I spoke bravely, cheerful enough to hide my sorrow. Yes, he had confess with the salvation Prayer but I do not think it is in a Church Environment. Nevertheless, it does not matter as Uncle still can relate back to the years my grandmother actually attended church services till my grandfather worship idols with the business...

6th December, I decided to pen down this draft copy as these two months I was quite confused by the incidents that gone past with a bink of an eye, how time flies, time & tide will not wait for any man...it seems to me, the days are like seconds, spilt seconds...My Brother, Desmond & my Dad was Baptised on the 26th of November, following by my mum & Desmond birthday on the 27th and 28th, a weekend of great significant, to me at least...

Managed to attend the Baptism and witnessed that precious moment. The event drew me back closer to Desmond where we drifted apart due to my heavy work load and mis-communication. I attended partial service of the church my family attended as I am the only one in the family who attend New Creation Church. It was a relief to me as I often out of my human effort, worried about the sermon preached at that church as I learn from Pastor Prince, that the mixture of Law and Grace is death...

The Church is Christ-centered and the pastor loves to lead everyone to worship the Lord in spirit, this I deeply loved as it is written in the Bible, when we pray in spirit, we are burning sweet aroma to our Abba in Heaven, praising Him, delighting Him and "the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22 (NASB)

Halleliuah! on verse 25 & 26 of Galatians, Chapter 5, it ends with "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another." This I pray that we will keep deeply in our heart in times of sorrow, confrontation, anger or agony...May the Lord keep you and Bless you...Heaps.

In Love with you

2005-11-16T21:30:00.000+08:00

Are you in love? Are you out of love? Have you ever feel the love? What is the thin line between our love and Jesus love? Our love mostly depend on the receiver of the love. Our love are often regulated by appearance or personalities. Our feeling for our loved ones will fluctuate, no matter how hard we try...

Yet, it is not so with Love of Jesus. We have no thermostatic impact on His love for us. The love of Christ is born from within us, not from what He finds in us. His love is uncaused and spontaneous. Does Jesus loves us because of our goodness? Because of our great faith? Shall we boast how much we love Him or His love for us? 1st John 4:10 says, 'In this is love: not that we loved God, but He loved us & sent His Son to be the propitiation (the astonish sacrifice) for our sins. [Amplified Bible]

Aren't you glad about this? Jesus love does not hinge on our human love. The abundance of our love does not increase His. The lack of our love does not diminish His. Our Goodness does not enhance His love, nor does our weakness dilute it. Says who? Says the Living word of God, The Bible! "The Lord did not choose you & lavish His love on you because you were larger or greater than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! It was simply because the Lord loves you." [Deut. 7:&-8 NLT]

Jesus loves us simply because He has chosen to love us! He loves us when we don't feel the love. He loves us when no one else seem to love us. Others may abandon us, divorce us, ignore us and forsake us but our Father in Heaven and our Lord will always love us no matter what as He says..."Just as He says in Hosea, Those who were not My people I will call My people, and her who was not beloved [I will call] My Beloved" [Romans:9:25] We are His Beloved Amen?! Halleluiah!

Found this in Max Lucado's Book, "A Love worth Giving"

Rewrite 1st Corinthians 13:4-8 in Your Name

Christ in Godwyn is Patient, Christ in Godwyn is Kind. Christ in Godwyn does not envy, Christ in Godwyn does not boast, Christ in Godwyn is not proud. Christ in Godwyn is not rude, Christ in Godwyn is not self-seeking, Christ in Godwyn is not easily angered, Christ in Godwyn keeps no record of wrong. Christ in Godwyn does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Christ in Godwyn always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Christ in Godwyn never fails...

STOP, think about the lines for a moment. Think deeply...It's time to let His love cover all things in life. All secrets. All hurts. All hours of evil, minutes of worry. The morning you awoke in bed of a stranger? His love will cover that. The years you peddled prejudice and pride? His love will cover that. Every promise broken, drug taken, penny stolen. Every cross words, cuss word and harsh words. Jesus love covers all things...

Let His Love cover all things. Do it for His sake. To glory of His Name, Amen?! Do it for your sake. For the peace of your heart. And do it for their sake. For the people in your life. Let His love fall on you so yours can fall on them. Be In Love with Him...

Does Anybody Care? : Inspired By Jerry Savelle

2005-11-15T07:30:00.000+08:00

Beloved ones, do you subscribe to any ministries for the constant flow of living water in you? Are you thirsty for God words? The Desire to learn to walk with Jesus Christ our Lord, the Son of God, Son of man! Inspired by the heading of Jerry Savelle words, let us immerse with his words and our Abba, embracing us with his ever-lasting love.

Have you ever have such thoughts: God has stop loving you? God does not seem to care about you any longer as your prayers are not answered and worries from the World just never fail to flood your life. Does anyone on Earth or in Heaven really care about me? Read on, you aren't ALONE, the Lord is with You...

"We are objections of God's affliction. If you were the only human being alive on the planet, God would have sent Jesus to die for you. That's how much you're loved by the Father, I believe you are going to experience a real deliverance simply because you've realized you're loved & highly favored of God. He cares about every detail of your life. He cares!

Right this minute, if you read the last statement & didn't take it personally, you are believing the lies of Satan. He is a LIAR! You have to actively say with your mouth, "Lord I believe you loved me. I believe You have forgiven me. I believe you CARE! Thank you for loving me." Say that over & over & over again until finally, you'll begin to believe it more than you do Satan's lies!

"What then shall we say to [all] this? IF God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?] He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely & graciously give us all [other] things?" Romans 8: 31-31 [Amplified Bible]

There are alot of people who are not convinced that God is for them. They think God is the enemy. How would you like to be commander-in-chief of an army where half of your troops don't even know who is the enemy? They've got their weapons pointed towards headquarter, blaming you all the time for their problems?

There are people questioning God, "Why did you let this happen to me?" We don't realize that God is for for us and NOT against us! God did not cause this awful situation in your life to prove something to you; He cares about you!

God wants to turn every test in our lives into a testimony! He wants to bless us no matter how impossible our situation may seem. In fact, He wants to bless us beyond our wildest dreams! He wants to restore every single thing Satan has stolen from us!. God wants to see Us free to be the wonderful, unique us that He created.

He wants to discover our strengths, embrace your uniqueness, & recognize our hobbies and interests as something He Himself put inyou us and wants us to use. But it all starts with knowing He loves you.

Nothing can separate us from God's love! Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing!

"For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending & threatening nor things to come, nor powers. Nor height, nor depth, nor things else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8: 38-39 [Amplified Bible]

When you become "persuaded" of just how much loved you are, and just how valuable you are in the sight of God, then you can say what Paul said, "There is nothing that can separate you from the Love of Christ. Nor things present nor things to come".

God is a God of love, mercy compassion, kindess, and goodness: but how can we experience that if we don't believe it & receive it for ourselves? Confess daily, "Thank you, Lord, for loving me. I receive your love by faith in Jesus Name!"

A simple prayer like such will transform your life. Do you believe so or trying to believe so? I just know the God I serve is a good God and He loves me! Thank you, Jesus! I live for you alone because you have First love me!

The J Factor...

2005-10-31T22:00:00.000+08:00

Pastor Prince spoke about this "J Factor" I thought it is really interesting as the title for the last day of October. You know about the "X Factor", the "Max Factor"...all of the "Factors" so What is the big deal about "J Factor"? Of all the "Factors", the "J Factor" is one you can't live without in life, It's Jesus Factor...

This month I only wrote two entries as I was going to the Lord to Drink, to fill my thirst with quiet time, to pray, to read & above all, to Enjoy his love. Do you feel 'thirsty' for God's words? Do you have the Desire to have His ways in you? If so, He says, "Come Thirsty", He is the Only way to quench your thirst! Not our Coke, Vodavoda or Evian... "Now on the final & most important day of the Feast, Jesus stood, & He cried in a loud voice, If any man is Thirsty, let him come to ME & Drink!" John 7:37 Amp Bible

I love to share my little 'revelation' & fellowship especially when I am depress...[I am not writing being depress now! I bind that in Jesus name haha] I share the same sentiments when Pastor Prince preach about when we are depressed, sharing our revelations with one another from our innermost shall flow springs and rivers of living water! Why? The more you speak about the Lord, the spirit in you will just flow & it is written in the Bible, when two or more are gathered, HIS presence will be felt! Try it...

Looking back this 31 days, it is not a month without fear, anger, pain, guilt or sorrow as I know the victories of all the tribulations belong to the Lord & I just need to STAND STILL! It is not meant for me to fight with my strength. Are you facing such trials? By Destiny, I cross the paths of some brothers & sisters in Christ, they seem not able to feel the goodness of the Lord, one say, "Why everyone is telling me, I am greatly blessed, highly favored but I do not feel the touch...". You are missing the "J Factor"...

I believe there are two main elements of the "J Factor"; One is the lack of knowledge [in the good gospel of Jesus Christ and the other is our Heart, being slow to believe. All in all, if all fail, Believe by Faith the "J Factor" in you, Christ in You, the hope of Glory & Power Amen?! We humans want to do things our way. Forget the easy ways. Forget the common way. Forget the best way. Forget God's way. We want to do things our way...Have you forgotten? Change your focus & relax!

Our God is a Good God Amen?! "O Taste & see that the Lord [Our God] is good! Blessed [Happy, fortunate, to be envied] is the man who trusts & takes refuge in Him." Psalm 34:8 Amp Bible

Max Lucado wrote:

You may be facing death, but you aren't facing death alone; the Lord is with you.

You may be facing unemployment, but you aren't facing them alone; the Lord is with you.

You may be facing marital struggles, but you aren't facing them alone; the Lord is with you. You may be facing debt, but your aren't facing debt alone; the Lord is with you.

You are NOT alone! Your family may turn against you, but God won't. Your friends may betray you, but God won't. You may feel alone in the wilderness, but you are not, He is with you. And Because He is, everything is different. You are different. When you know God loves you, you won't be desperate for the love of others or the material aspects of love in life. That is the J Factor...as Perfect love casts out fear. 1st John 4:18 Read the next line of the verse, it says, "We love Him because He first loved us! Amen?! I just 'preach' myself Happy!!!

Psalm 23 - Unload your Burden

2005-10-20T02:57:00.000+08:00

Fateful, 17th of October, the doctors completed my Dad's eye operation. My 'Luggage' for traveling on this temporal life, here on earth was lightened! "Godwyn, Praise God! Lord is always good to you, watch your blessing", echoed a brother in Christ. "God is indeed good but be it good or bad incidents to come, I just know one promise for sure, Jesus Loves Us Heaps!" I learn to grow up, knowing it is not ONLY the car park space He blessed me, the prayers that He answered me, it is therefore, from such, I conclude God is good!

Trials & tribulations are part of the temporal walk on earth, unanswered prayers, endless fiasco & even when everything seems to fall apart, knowing God's love for us, with Jesus's perfect work on the perfect cross. "All I know, it is finished!"...Amen?!

Closely, I walk with the Lord, yet at times I fail to wonder, what if Dad goes blind? What more will impact to his progressive recovery of bipolar disorder? Do you know every minutes, in the World, at least 2000 people go blind. I manage to catch the documentary, "Vision 20/20 " on BBC. Been feeding on Max Lucado's books, lisening to sermon from New Creation Church & praying to the Lord for directions in life.

Skip 'blogging' for near to a month, my excuse? Family obligations, trials on friendships [From friend to Foe] & familiar excuse, heavy workload. All in all, we should first seek the Kingdom of God & ALL will be blessed upon us. Then again, we always like to take our own 'yoke' thinking we have to do something to gain material wealth. Human effort, do you experience such or am I the only? It is written in the Bible do not worry about the day for the day will worry by it's own. Though we know God clothes the Lilies in the field, won't Abba bless us more? Are we worth less than the flowers in the field?

Psalm 23: Written to build our trust in God and to remind us of Who HE is:

The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide & shield us], I shall not lack.

He makes me lie down in [fresh tender] green pastures;

He leads me beside the still & restful waters.

He refreshes & restores my life [ourselves];

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

[uprightness & rightstanding with Him- not for my earning it, but] for His name's sake.

Yes though I walk through the [deep sunless] Valley of the shadow of Death,

I will not fear or dread no evil, for You are with me;

Your Rod [to protect] & Your Staff [to guide], they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.

Surely or only goodness, mercy, & unfailing love shall follow me

All the days of my life, & through the length of my days in the house of the Lord [& His presence] shall be my dwelling place.

In the Eye of the Storm...

2005-09-30T02:10:00.000+08:00

Been back to the house of God & I feel so good to be 'fed' by the Pastors. Like a lamb, I look upon our Good Shepherd & be led by Him as He says, "I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd risks and lay down His [Own] life for the sheep."John 10:11 (Amplified Bible) Pastor Prince has been sharing about the Lord being our Shepherd & many a time, being in the House of God is a confirmation of what the Lord speaks in the week, through the Holy Spirit in us, I purely believe in the relationship with God, not a religion or the rituals, do you? Last Sunday Pastor Prince preached on Shalom the Lord gave to us, check out "Tribulations - to destroy us?

Oh did I mention about the blessings? Our Church is in the heart of a busy shopping arcade [unique, right? it's call Suntec City, remember to check it out when you come to Singapore!] and it almost impossible to find a parking space on a busy Sunday. Yet, for the past few weeks, the Lord bless us with an instant parking space when we reached Suntec! It's like a personal parking lot, immediate access to the Church! Praise the Lord! As much as the Devil tried to put us in bad traffic or other incidents to delay the trip to worship our Abba, the Lord never fail to bless us! Lunch time is packed with heaps of people awaiting for seat at the food court, my brother in Christ and me will declare the blessing and instantly, we are happily seating down, ordering our food!

It is just parking space and seats for food, what is the big deal? Oh ya, when you face with fleets of cars awaiting for a single car park lot & you are frustrated & hungry, couldn't wait to be embraced in the house of God, that instant blessing you feel then, has the ability to 'wash' away your Monday blues keeping your heart in peace for the good week ahead! Often it is the simplicity of life that make up our happiness, I do not know about you but to know that our Father in Heaven bless such 'little' needs, surely when the storm arrive, the Lord would embrace me from his promises of Psalm 91, "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge & my fortress, my God; on Him I lean & rely, and in Him I [Confidently] trust!' Psalm 91:2 (Amplified Bible)

Try this, "Father, I declare in your name I need..." That activates the Blessing button & out flows the river of life! I did not know such work till Pastor Prince preached on this supernatural blessing that the Lord bless such, as it says in Deuteronomy 28:6 "Blessed shall you be when you come in & blessed shall you be when you go out."

I am still in the storm, in fact I am in the Eye of the Storm...yet I want to share that the Lord bless me & upheld me with his love from Chaos to Calm. I am hailstormed by demands, assailed by doubts & pummeled by questions! If you are in one, then you know what I mean. Godincidence, I just read my collection of Max Lucad's books, "In the eye of the Storm, a day in the life of Jesus." I never dream that Jesus knows how I feel [As being a human]. Do you know of the story of a God who became human? Jesus! Why? He did that so that you & I would believe that the Healer knows our hurts, he voluntarilty became one of us. He placed himself in our position. He suffered our pains & felt our fears.

Feel better now knowing you are not alone? I do. Thanks for all the prayers, my little sister & my Dad are getting better though the healing is progressive, I will fix my eyes on the perfect work on the cross. Just remember:Jesus Loves us heaps!

What have you been praying for?

2005-09-19T01:57:00.000+08:00

Woke up in the middle of the night...remembered some hurtful moments, cry upon the Lord & the Holy spirit led me to Max Lucado's site [Upwords] and listen to a short message:

Pray for the Unity of Holy Spirit to work in the life of fellow Church members, to bring unity.

Satan is 'powerful' but predictable, he wants to divide the Church, he wants to divide God's people, so the fellowship with one another is divided and testimonies to the outside World is destroyed.

He wants to create competition, jealousy, superiority, pray against them. Surrender these problems to the Lord!

How? What to pray for? Pray for your leadership, pray for your enemies, pray for the people in the Queue, pray for your pastor! Pray for your church! There is no more important organization than that and that is the Church!

O' Lord...Let us not be Divided...with the Christ in Us! We have Blood Bought rights!

Slow to believe?

2005-09-11T21:49:00.000+08:00

Taken my communion, declared I am healed in a name above all name, Jesus ! My first rest day of the week was disturbed by 'food poisoning', my frequent visit to the washroom and constant pain reminded me of the past suffering of my little sister. My little precious sister is recovering and I pray to the Lord she will not suffer a relapse being the first day of school for her after months of rest at home...

In order to experience Grace through my own personal experience is for our heart to be persuaded that we are 101% righteous. It is this belief of the truth that made Grace effective in my life. "I can do all things through HIM who strengthens me." Phil 4:13 Amplified Bible, "I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency] Halleluiah! Christ is all we need Amen?!

Let me share some reading from Dr. James Richards, a man who preach heaps on Grace. I believe the key to restoration of ALL things is the same key to victory in ALL walks of life - Believing. Amen?! Trying to be righteous in our own strength isolates us from Grace. Let's look at Paul said in Galatians 2:21 "I do not nullify the Grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ Died needlessly."

When we try to do things in our own strength, we nullify, reject and neutralize the grace of God in our life! Don't blame God, God does not take away his goodness and Grace away from us; it is through our unbelief, we choose to depend on our own strength instead of His.

"Godwyn, What is new? I know this verse and this 'revelation' years before you wrote this!" many might say. I say to you, "In the midst of a fiasco, where all things go wrong and everything seem to be hopeless, will you say, "Lord I believe in you?" and truely cast your problems unto Him?"

I am still learning, that is why I just told Jesus, my sister is going back to school, she is not going to suffer a relapse "that is your problem, not mine as you are God, I am not!"

When we enter into His Light, accepting what Jesus says about us in the Bible and acknowledging our righteousness through His Finished work, then Grace will flood our heart! Surely YOU will find God's Grace to deliver us out of our sins and daily tribulation!

Jesus said in John 20:29 Amp"Blessed and happy and to be envied are those who have never seen Me & yet have believed and adhered to and trusted and relied on me" Amplified Bible. Thus, many a time I am confuse and do not know what is happening to my life, I just say to myself, "Jesus, I do not know what is happening around me, but I know you Love me, You will nevere forsake me and I believe in you."

If God say so, it will be so...