Shocks and Encounters

Well, last night was indeed a shocker. lol. A make up cg ends with 3-4 ppl and eventually cancelled.

Nonetheless, I came last night prepared to meet God, and I was quite disappointed I couldnt, nothing against anyone really, its just, I dunno, how I feel haha.

I remember sitting in the living room alone, eating my KFC, no one at home, I looked round the empty hall, where at that particular time would be filled with people, filled with the presence of God, filled with faith and conviction from the Word...all of a sudden, nothing's there, it felt weird, it felt depressing..for me at least..

By the time I ate finished, I was in tears..and I said no, this is not how Im gonna spend my night.

I went to my room, switched off the lights...took out the guitar and started playing. After 15-30mins heaven opened and POG entered my room. I was tearing and the feeling was just so overwhelming.

We began to have a little conversation, some sweet talk and then I moved to pray. And faith began to stir up within me and I spoke out in my understanding, and began to bind the devil in my understanding. I wasnt exactly all rahrah but I spoke firmly and with confidence and faith.

"Satan, you will not have my family, you will not have my finances, my life. Dont you even dare to show your face. You say, 'I know Jesus, I know Peter, but who are you?' but I dont care either. God is in me and you better dont show your face ever again to me."

End up, I didnt just talk to God, I commanded angels and I talked to the devil lol. What an encounter, in just an hour. And God began to minister to me, speak to me and move in me. I remembered feeling so strongly, I was sitting on my bed and He stood in front of me.

"Andrew, whatever you do, dont open your eyes. Your heart amazes me. Tell me, what do you want to pray for? What is it that you want?"

With tears in my eyes, "I dont know Lord. There are many things I want but..I dont know what to ask for. This is enough. You're all I need. I just want this moment to last. Let everyday, every hour, every minute, let me feel You the way Im feeling now. What else can I ask for? You alone have won my heart..."

Indeed, it was a good night...it was a good good night. :D

Just because you know you should seek the Lord, it doesnt mean you have really sought Him.

A worshipper is someone who doesnt need any singers, any band, and lights, any appropriate mood/emotions, to bring down the presence of God on his own.

Casting Crowns - Voice of Truth

Oh,what I would do to have
the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is,
And he's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name
and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
time and time again
"Boy, you'll never win,
you'll never win."

But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
the Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the Voice of truth says "this is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth

Oh, what I would do
to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant
with just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound
of a thousand warriors
shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out
my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
time and time again
"Boy you'll never win,
you'll never win."

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the Voice of truth says "this is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth

But the stone was just the right size
to put the giant on the ground
and the waves they don't seem so high
from on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
when I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
singing over me

But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
The Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me (calling out to me)
I will choose to listen and believe (I will choose to listen and believe)
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth

I will listen and believe
I will listen and believe the Voice of truth
I will listen and believe
'Cause Jesus you are the Voice of truth
And I will listen to you.. oh you are the Voice of truth

The Race

In the race of life, if you always get distracted to the left, to the right, to the back, or even to the front, you might end up crossing into other people's lanes without realizing. In the end, you get disqualified, which is worse than having tried and failed.

Got this from my previous sermon notes. Good things are worth mentioning twice.

And whats more ridiculous than getting disqualified? Its people who get drawn by something or someone behind, and they start running backwards.

Please...dont waste your life being a joker. It aint funny.

Divine Adultery

Telling God I love you, but choosing your will over His will, your desires over His desires, is like committing a heavenly affair...divine adultery of the highest level. And Satan is known as the one who rebels.

How you treat Him, is how you will treat others, which will result in how they will treat you back.

God's dream - No matter how hard you try, you will never obtain it, by your own effort.

Man's dream - Its obtainable even if you pursue it by yourself, but it starts perishing the moment you get it. Because even if a dream is perfect, the moment you're in it, you made it imperfect.

Deep Thoughts - Faith, Respect, Relationship

"God moves only when we move".

I just thought of this statement and a revelation stuck me.

I began to realize, dont always ask or expect God to take the initiative, afterall, He took the biggest initiative by sending His son to die for us. And not just to die, but to die a blameless and gruesome death.

The least we can do is to appreciate Him and trust Him for everything else in our lives. Treating Him like a vending machine is likened to a lack of respect.

Its not a religion, its a relationship!

And relationship requires time, effort, commitment and sacrifice, giving up the things you like to do to pursue God's dream. Dont just go to Him when you have needs, if not you'll go to your friends the same way.

How you treat people is how you treat God. (Works again :D)

Show God some respect. He is God, not you. Ps Tan preached a very good message about being a 'slave' to the Master, a bondservant. Not our will, but His be done.

Just an illustration, when the disciples woke Jesus on the boat, they got 'discipled', "You of little faith!". Many other occasions, the disciples got scolded for having a lack of faith, when Jesus discipled them its always 'Why no faith!'

"Without faith, it is impossible to please God."

To doubt God is like insulting Him, thats why unbelief turns Jesus off so much. Its like, you call Him God, you believe in Him yet you dont believe He can do THAT LITTLE for you! Why "THAT LITTLE"? Because God can always do more!

"Those who come to Him must know that He is, and that He's a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him".

We all should come to a level of maturity where God treats us like adults. At a certain stage, God expects a certain level of responsibility and initiative.

Trust Him, stop complaining, listen to His word and do it.

Dont always let God teach you by 'harsh treatment'. By that, I mean through trials, heartaches and difficult situations, if we all start taking initiative and ownership over our own lives, God will treat us like adults.

"Trust and obey, for theres no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey." :)

Always stay open and sensitive to God. Be always aware of spiritual things. Yet at the same time, live a balanced life. Living a fun and exciting life without spirituality is also a form of inbalance!

What you do, shows who your God is.

Fun, Respect

If you always seek fun and you think life is all about having fun,
Then...YOU WILL NEVER BE SERIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING!

You will never be serious with God,
You will never be serious with people.
You just feel good, thats all. You neglect God, you neglect people in the midst of your excitement. You only see your needs but not the needs of others.

In the first place, 'fun' has always been something 'light-hearted'. In a way, there's no such thing as 'serious fun'. Laying down His life for others, going to the cross, was a serious thing, it wasnt fun most of the time, in fact, its painful and draining.

But in the midst of it, knowing not just 'what you are here for but WHO you are here for', somehow things become easier and you enjoy every moment of ministry to people.

Now, I think its okay to share your problems, but please, dont be a WHINER!

God did not save you to make noise! But to be a voice to the generations!
What kind of voice are you bringing?

You know, its very easy to complain and Im no stranger of that, but please, dont make it a lifestyle. Its irritating and a big turn off if you're a noisy person. Unknowingly, you turn God off with your whining, and you wonder why isnt God moving or responding..its because most of the time, He is TOLERATING you!

Waiting for you to just shut up and listen, and trust Him.

I know how its like..to love someone, have good intentions but before you even show any of it, the person makes a big fuss about something else and starts to doubt you or...'turn you off'.

Come on, God has feelings too.

And watch how you SPEAK to God! Yes, He can be our friend, but He's also our Father, He's the KING of KINGS! Show Him some respect. There's a time and season for everything. Afterall, He is still GOD. Dont give Him attitude!

Your words frame your world.

Start changing the way you speak.

New Land + Time

Woke up feeling excited for the new land!
Yet...7 years...by then it will be too small. :)

The greatest breakthrough in life is not the making of miracles, but the making of time for the right people.

Mood Swings + Quotes

Its very easy to let the atmosphere around friends to influence our moods, even if its negative. But how many actually calibrate their moods to change the atmosphere? Dont live in a world of mood swings, but live in a world of transformation and fruitfulness. Start taking ownership of your own life.

RickWarren : To be tough on others & lenient with yourself is hypocrisy. To be lenient with others but tough on yourself is holiness.

"Either God defends you, or what you have isn't worth defending." - Bill Johnson

Revelations, Random Picture

"In everything, do it as doing unto the Lord..."

So how about relationships? Do we just seek them for the sake of romance or love or provision?

Or do we enter a relationship for the kingdom of heaven's sake? Fulfilling our destiny, learning what it means to be like Christ and being the maximized man/woman that God wants us to be?

How we start, will determine how we end.

In life, there are 3 types of people:

1. Those who bring you back to your past.
2. Those who keep you where you are.
3. Those who take you forward into your destiny.

What kind of person are you?
What kind of person are we 'associated' with?

While love, romance, finances, etc, are important, they are not the essentials, or rather, the fundamentals.

"The purpose of marriage is to be like Christ". - Robb Thompson.

Just observe the trend in our church alone, the most perfect couples are the ones who started out with nothing, they lived simple lives, some even struggled through their youth, dull, boring, unsuccessful, very little qualifications, acne-faced, etc.

But look at them now...our greatest example, is our very own Ps Kong and Sun.

One, was an ugly-faced, shy and intimidated boy. The other, was a singer wannabe whose dream was despised, and who lived with depression.

But now, one is topping the charts all over the world, and the other, building a global ministry that has impacted the world in several generations!

Sun couldve gone for a prince charming back then, or someone with lots of wealth and status, but look at them now, SEE FOR YOURSELF, what God has done and will do.

If you have the perfect one, you are blessed. But the moment you enter that person's life, he/she is no longer perfect. Haha.

While all these things are good, the truth remains, that when we seek first His kingdom and all His righteousness, that all these things will be ADDED. Go check the dictionary for the meaning of "Addition".

If you wanna be like someone you respect, that DO WHAT THE PERSON DID!

What do you want? You decide.

In as much as there are resources out there on how to have a happy relationship, nothing beats a real life example, one that you have been looking at every week!

Be smart. If you have a brain, use it.

You can argue and reason a theory, but you cannot argue or reason a real life testimony.

If you've been making mistakes in the past, then just stop making the same mistake. "Ohh, But...but...but...I dont know how to change this, change that..."

You dont need to do anything, JUST STOP! S-T-O-P, STOP!

Any driver will tell you that if you wanna change a manual gear, you have to first step on the gear clutch. If not what happens? Stall, break down, damage to parts, etc.

God speaks in a still small voice. But if our heads are like a getai opera or some pasar malam, its very hard to hear that still small voice. Im sure we all know how irritating it is, that no matter how hard we try to speak, the person cant seem to hear.

How much we believe in God's word, is reflected by how fast we are willing to act upon it.

To end off, here's a rather interesting scene I found at Tampines Mall hahaha.



The shop doesnt seem to like chinese new year..:O LOL! But when checked with my friend, he says, the ARRGHH! was meant to be the roar of a tiger since this is the year of the tiger. O.O At least make it GRRAAH! or something.

Like...since when is ARRGH! a roaring sound!? O.O Haha. Esprit, its not 1 April yet, try harder. :P

Short Notes

Many times when people are having fun with a bunch on people, they will tend to draw themselves away from others and focus only on having their own needs met. That is why God choose to remain silent and at times, make you feel as if He's not there when He is, to teach you the hard way, what it means to love unconditionally and to have a sense of loyalty and commitment.

"True friends place character above relationship." - Robb Thompson.

S2 Combo Tweets! HAHAHA!

If you dont have the DNA of constant sacrifice, you dont have the DNA of the church, you dont have the DNA of God.

Sacrifice is an attitude of faith. If you dont sacrifice, you dont have faith. Dont just give God what He likes, give Him what He wants!

There is no true love without sacrifice! More than just unto God, it shows who your true friends are.

With vision, comes sacrifice. If you dont have the strength to sacrifice, you have NO VISION!

If you believe the Lord is God, then dont build Him a cheapo house! U dont put e Prime Minister in a 3-rm HDB flat! Worship is sacrifice.

If you truly love someone, how can you not give to Him? Then your sense of affection is in question.

People who think they are God, owning their own lives, will have problems giving generously!

Love is sacrifice. Its not hard to love, its just that people expect - that in order to make others happy, they themselves should not be unhappy. They think that just because you love, it shouldnt cost you something, love is not painful. Not true, and totally unbiblical!

"And I will not to God something which costs me nothing". That is love. How do we love God? How do we love others?

When people reject a blessing, its either theyre really embarassed or theyre unwilling to bless you back because theyre not givers.

The reason why I spammed tweets is because I was serving and I didnt have a notebook with me at that time, hahaha.

Life

Whenever you feel you cant run the race of life anymore, dont run. WALK. You will still finish it eventually, not necessarily as the one who is the fastest or the strongest, but as the one who is the most faithful.

No matter how hard, how painful, keep believing, keep doing, keep showing up. Just when you feel you're at your point of death, the good news is that God has plans for your resurrection.

Lessons

Revelation Precedes Reality.

What a powerful statement. It doesnt matter what is happening now, what people are saying, etc, ultimately, we live by faith and not by sight. In every situation, what is the Word of God saying?

CG was awesome today. Love those lights...next week, the lighting during worship will be better guys :) haha. I found another set of lights that can really set the mood. ^^ Look forward to the next meeting at my house ba..hahaha. Its there all along, but I just didnt experiment enough :x

You know, nothing hurts more when a close friend says to you, he/she will never do this and that with you because the person doesnt feel like, or its not in his/her area of interest. But...one day, you realize your friend is doing the very thing he doesnt like, with someone else...but for you, its a no or, 'lets try something else...'.

Sometimes it makes you wonder, if you're really their friend at all...you just feel like not seeing the person every again, whenever you think of them, you think of pain. It just hurts...

And then when that friend messages you and say they're unwell, somehow, you find it hard to show compassion or feel anything for the person, after what he/she has done.

But at that point, God will ask you, will you still go the distance? Will you still love? Will you still give? Will you still serve?

Its very easy, in that situation, for anyone to just ignore the person, afterall, even though the person may not be a bad person, but yet, you're hurt. To many, "I just cant bring myself to serve him/her, at least not for now..."

But guys, thats missing the whole point! In the end, I called to make sure that person is okay, and all...it was a painful decision, but I learnt one very important lesson...

Sometimes we go about our daily lives, we neglect God...or there are things He wanna do with us, but at that time, we say we're not ready...or we dun feel like. But then shortly after, we spend time with others, we have fun, and it hurts God...

Its like...you can fellowship with others, but when it comes to God..'Oh, Im sorry, too busy, too sleepy, too tired...', etc...EXCUSES. And then when it comes to others, 'oh...when u free? we meet! Hahaha!'....

How do you think God felt?

Just ask yourself, how would you feel if a friend told you he/she is not free, and you find out they're with another bunch of people, having fun out there...

Not only you feel betrayed, you feel neglected and broken, especially if you've done alot for your friends.

Yet what did God do? He still gave us His presence didnt He?
He still encouraged us didnt He? He still loved us didnt He?

You think it doesnt hurt God?
You think just because God is smiling and loving you like the first time you met Him,
That He's not hurt behind that smile?

I realized, God doesnt tell us He's hurt most of the time...

Most of the time, He keeps quiet. If you continue to be unsensitive and fail to realize what God is thinking or feeling, He brings in that trial, that hurt, that period of emotional pain and separation, to "TEACH" you what it feels like.

Ive learnt it the hard way...

I began to realize how hard and painful it is to stay faithful even when others arent.

I always say, "How you treat people is how you treat God". Not just because its a nice statement, but its God's way of disciplining me, I learnt things the hard way, just as how Jesus learned obedience by the things He suffered.

By going through heartaches, I began to understand better, how God felt.

We sang before, "Show me Your heart". But if you're smart, go find out for yourself! Hahaha. It just shows how much we really know about God if you have to always learn things the hard way. ;)

The mark of maturity is when you're able to be quick to do what God would've done, in a situation where others would've acted differently.

Feeling Weird

Im tired, yet I cant sleep...hmm...

Anyway, a friend of mine borrowed a game from me like a year ago or something, maybe longer, and few months back she returned it to me. But I merely kept it.

I didnt realize that there were 2 notes inside that moved me after I read it just a few minutes ago...thanks alot alot :)

It was dated for the period in my life when my grandparents passed away. :(( So sorry...guessed I was too overwhelmed back then... :S

She was telling me she sensed something painful deep inside me during morning PM a few months ago but didnt really know what is it. But nonetheless, Im amazed she did. :O

Feeling tired...Moodless...I duno, haha...Im not the lively person, lamer, funny video maker anymore...Dont know if Ill ever go back to that kind of person again..haha.

...

Part and parcel of becoming a 'man' eh? Though NS...=/

Was supposed to play for a cg in Toa Payoh last night, but went out for family dinner. Happy Birthday mummy!

Need to start making new friends, spiritual ones...there was a period in time when Imeem was still 'functional' and I attracted lots of church friends, both guys and girls. I got to know lots of people, most of them are great people...while the rest...hmm...just have not changed? Haha....

Playing for other cgs was one such opportunity...

Well, time to step out...I get tired of the 'same thing' over and over after a long time, especially when things arent working for some individuals...

The one thing that frustrates me the most...is the waste of time...hahaha...

Happenings

Ive realized that Ive been treating my blog more like a notepad, lol...for my notes, devotional revelations, etc. Someone asked me how am I doing and I realized I havent really been blogging about my life...

Well, its just a busy month, yet deep down, I long for fellowship, someone whom I can share my life with, someone who's just...there...

Since the start of the year, Ive not gone out with anybody. Haha. People are either too busy or out with friends. Haha...maybe its because I dont have a clique. In fact, I dunno, I never had one since sec sch hahaha!

People wonder how does it feel to not hang out with friends for more than 3 weeks...I dunno. Dont ask me, haha. Its not the longest though...the longest was 5 months without friends hahaha. NS enlistment that is...everyone seemed to have forgotten about me haha. Its such a strange feeling, yet..its funny at the same time haha.

Well, at least Im glad I contributed a bit into their lives when I was still around haha. In a way, I guess I could be glad that now I can contribute to other people haha, people who are new, different, its just a whole new experience lol.

Well, excluding cg of course, I see them every week. lol...and family, I see them everyday, but friends...hmm, I dunno haha...am I anyone's friend? :P

I guess Ive lost touch with most of them haha...fading away...I dunno, everytime I come to a place where I feel I have no one left, God will always be so close to me, and sometimes, He will bring in new people into my life to 'replace the old'. Will you be one of those who get replaced in the future? :P haha. I dunno...

I still do my best to stay loyal, to stay faithful, to keep giving, even when people arent, thats what it means to be like God I suppose haha. And I came to realize that in this position, I tend to understand God's feelings better, how it feels when we ourselves no longer 'need' or desire for that fellowship with Him...

I cant control people's lives...most of them are drawn by excitement, even if its from the wrong people. They react to emotions and not choose to act.

The moment they lose that excitement for someone, they lose their touch completely. Just like with God...when His anointing is there, only then they worship Him, when His anointing is no longer there, they resume their daily lives...haha.

I have a personal revelational quote and I believe I dont have to post it here again haha...

How you treat....*Fill in the blanks lol.

It works all the time..:P

Reminders

If life has not changed,
Its because you have not changed.

Dont expect things to be different,
When you insist they remain the same.

Please check up the dictionary on the meaning of the word: Change.

Its not difficult to do the right thing.
Yet its so difficult to stop doing the wrong thing.

Then at this point you got to ask yourself,
What do you really want? Is it what God wants?
If both of you want the same thing, THEN...
The place of agreement is the place of power.

If God wants something and you want another thing,
The place of disagreement is the place of POWERLESSNESS.

Nothing will happen in your life.

Life will never change to suit you,
You have to change to suit it.

While its true that our Destiny is in God's hands,
But the outcome of that destiny, is in your hands.

God sets the direction for your life,
But it is you who decide where to steer it.

Fall Of Mankind

It was not the fruit that brought about the fall of mankind,
But it was the sin of omission - Knowing what is right but failing to do it.

Adam had the revelation that the fruit was good, but forbidden,
Yet despite it, he chose to share it with Eve.

What you have with you can be neither good nor bad,
But you can either choose to do nothing about it,
Or you can choose to do the wrong thing with it,
Or you can do what's right.

Its not just a matter of the fruit,
Its a matter of responsibility and ownership over your own life.

Unless you're willing to give up what is good,
You'll never experience what is best.

It is not the circumstances that determine your future,
But your actions today that will determine tomorrow.

Short Notes

Sidney Mohede: "Our background & circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become."

Knowledge by insight is good,
But knowledge by experience is undeniable.

Are you a shallow simpleton, or do you really know your stuff?

Love

People who lust will never understand the concept that true love is the desire to give, sacrifice and benefit others at the expense of self.

To them, giving is a waste of time and money.
To them, God is just a religion, not a relationship.

They treasure their own lives more than they treasure the Life-Giver.
They worship Him, but they dont love Him.
They dont think He's worth it.

And how we treat God, is how we treat people.

Period. End of story.

Wondering In The Wilderness

"If the horse is dead, DISMOUNT!" - A.R. Bernard/Robb Thompson (Cant rem haha)

Many times people wonder why their destiny is never fulfilled, sometimes, its not because God is hindering them, in fact, the door is very often open wide in front of them.

It becomes silly when you see a dead horse, and someone is sitting on top of it going, "Go horsey! Giddy up! Giddy up! Move horsey!"

There's nothing theological or complicated about that...its just plain common sense. Even a child knows that if a toy is spoilt, he throws it away if it cant be fixed.

If you've spilled some food, you clear it and clean it up. You dont bend down to lick the floor or the table right?

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.

God's purpose will never be fulfilled with insane people, but with committed people. People who know when to make the right decisions instead of dwelling and wondering in the wilderness. In proverbs it says, above knowledge, seek wisdom and above wisdom, seek understanding.

Remember the story of the Isrealites? They wondered in the wilderness for 40 years, when the promised land is just a short distance away and they failed to realize it. They focused on themselves rather than on God.

My bible says that in every trial or temptation, God has provided a way of escape (it didnt say a definite solution). Its not that life is hard, neither is it because of the fact that circumstances cant be changed. Yes, at times things cant be changed, yet it doesnt mean there is no way of escape.

Not every obstacle can be solved, and God knows that because we are imperfect, yet His grace is always sufficient. We just do our best and let God do the rest. That is surrender, that is trust.

Yes, we believe that all things are possible, yet not all things are permissible.

Just because God can raise the dead, it doesnt mean every corpse will come back to life if we try hard enough or have enough faith. Faith is no excuse for a lack of common sense.

God is a practical God. In everything, there is always a purpose, a reason.

Some people grow in church pretty fast, I knew one member last time, who finished VL and got into a ministry in just one year. How did he do that? He just 'chionged' for it. He had the desire, driven by his passion.

You can have a desire yet no passion. Its like incense without fire, nothing more than mere dust. They say, the proof of your desire is in your pursuit. If you wanna keep on waiting, then life will also keep on waiting for you.

We say we wanna be like God, we say we wanna change and grow, yet many times we are not willing to do what is necessary.

You cant achieve God's plans for your life if you dont follow His way. Afterall, for a start, it is HIS plans, not your plans. If its your plan, go ahead and do it your way, it may work, but it will never be enough. But since its His plan, then dont be dumb, your method will never work.

Its like the law of gravity.

Just because gravity takes you from point A to point B, it doesnt mean if you wanna go from one block to another, you can leap out of the corridor! You have to follow its law, the way it works! If you leap, you will fall.

If one year has passed and nothing has changed, then ask yourself, what is it that havent changed? If that area hasnt been changed, then thats why your life has never changed. Right?

If you're a bit confused, here's a simpler way to put it...

If your life hasnt changed, its because your life hasnt changed.

Haha, nothing deep about it. Nothing 'chim' about it. Just keep repeating, "my life hasnt changed, my life hasnt changed, my life hasnt changed..." No, its not a trick question haha. That statement is both a statement and the answer, all in one. :D

If you wanna achieve more, DO more. Else, just sit back and relax and your life will go also sit back and relax. ;)

Life will never change with time, life changes only when your thinking changes.

JAMS, S4

Serving was great. Though it was hard cus I didnt know what to expect, I merely volunteered out of a desire to bless others, yet the experience itself was more valuable than anything else.

The moment you step out of your comfort zone, and position yourself in a place of responsibility and rely on God, even though you have no experience or knowledge or ability to handle the situation, but because unless God moves, He wont be glorified, God will make sure He sees you through and you end up realizing that you could actually do something you never thought you could...

Because its not by might, nor by power, but by His spirit.

2 girls made an impact, no not the JAMS church workers, but the JAMS members themselves. There was incident where one of the workers spilled something on the floor, so I went to help clear the mess.

Upon seeing that, one of the girls nearby, went round, looked for a serviette, and started to stoop down and wipe the floor for us! I was so moved, even most of my friends dont do that...haha oops. I almost teared just seeing that act, at the same time, just impressed and dumbfounded..loss for words.

Another girl, when they started worship, the song leader told everyone, 'come, let us lift up our hands to worship and love our God', this girl just went to the aisle cus the row was squeezy, and she just knelt down right in front of me! :O

Amazing and I was on the verge of letting go my tears already..and then when they sang the song again, she went another level lower, she prostrated in the presence of God! ... Even though no one else was doing it!

I just lost myself...tears kept on flowing down my face. It no longer mattered if I was in the midst of a special crowd, at that moment, it was just me and God all over again...

I mean, here is an intellectually disabled, first, taking initiative to help out and to serve, secondly, no holds barred, worshipping God with all her heart, soul and strength. Some of them had tears in their eyes and my heart just melted..

No wonder the presence of God was so strong..even during praise, I already felt like crying, the atmosphere was just that thick. They may not have much, but the little that they had, they surrendered it to God. And THAT...is true worship, and the presence of God moves in an atmosphere of worship!

I caught hold of something, you got to be there to experience it for yourselves. Sometimes we can get too 'sophisticated' and so much of a 'professional christian', we tend to forget the simple things, the little things that really matter to God.

If they can do it, how much more should we!

Your relationship with the world as a whole (marriage, family, education, finances, etc), is only dependent on your relationship with its Creator.

Morning Devotions

If you have a dream from God, there is no angel in heaven, no demon in hell, that can stop that dream from coming to pass.

The opposite is true.

If your dream is not from God, anyone can destroy and steal it away because its not covered by the blood of Jesus.

"When you pray, believe you have received it, and then you will have it".

Most people pray but they dont believe.
And when they believe, they choose not to receive.

You must receive it first before you can have it.

Be faithful in the little and much will be added.
If nothing is added, then it just means you're not faithful in the little.

Your basic foundations of prayer, reading the word, quiet time and serving others.
Are you able to bring down the presence of God on your own? Or do you always need a cg/church setting in order to feel the God's presence?

Because if you cant, everything you desire, God will never come through for you because you cant bring in the presence of God in that dream, you cant open heaven in in that situation. Everything will just merely be by your own strength and limitations.

You can never live a life of faith if you dont have the faith to live that life.

If you know that dream of yours is not from God and you still desire it, God will give it to you, but it becomes a curse to you.

You cant progress, its hard, you will break under the pressure, nothing works, God will stay far from you. Because God only moves in an atmosphere of faith and worship.

Choosing what you want over what God desires is not worship,
That is pride, that is rebellion.

To be blessed is to be empowered to succeed,
To be cursed is to be empowered to fail.

God presented us with 2 choices:
Blessings or curses, life or death. Choose life. Choose blessing.

What you want, is what you get.

Start the year right. How you start, will determine how you end.

Understanding

If you're easily controlled by what you dont understand,
Its very hard for you to maximize what you do understand.

Dont spend all your time and energy on something you want
And miss on God's BEST for your life.

He's smarter than us. Trust Him for it. :)

Hectic! + More Thoughts....

Here's my schedule for the month.

This week:

Mon - Work + RT (Remedial Training)
Tue - Work + Parade Rehearsal
Wed - Work + RT
Thu - Work + Parade
Fri - Work + RT

Next week:

Mon - Work + RT (Remedial Training)
Tue - Work + Parade Rehearsal
Wed - Work + RT
Thu - Work + Parade
Fri - Work + RT

Last week:

Mon - Work + Parade
Tue - Work
Wed - Work + Parade
Thu - Work
Fri - Work + Parade

In a way, Im thankful to God for not putting me on the manpower for sound for this week and the following week haha :D

Love is something happy.

Should we fight for love? Well, its up to you. Love is not a battle, neither is it a game. Love gives people a choice and we all have to learn to respect others' decision, thats what it means to love someone isnt it?

God demonstrated His love. He gave us a choice to respond. Although He did try to win all our hearts, what did He do when people consciously reject Him? Yes He felt sad, but was there any form of retaliation? No. He didnt even said a thing.

He knew it would hurt, He would still give His best, but once the person has made a choice, He knew that because He is love, He would have to respect the person's decision. Yet God still made room for the person to return one day, isnt that how He treated us? Though we fall away, yet He still welcomes us back time and time again.

But He doesnt just stop there, God is a progressive God. He moves on. For us who chose to stay true to Him, we receive His blessings, His anointing and His presence.

I learnt not to be distracted by people who choose to do nothing with your love, but rather to focus on the people that are still around, treasuring them, showing them the same unconditional love and loving them the same way as you would for your lover because God is not a respector of persons.

Like adam always taught me, "Only the hungry and the faithful will eat the good of the land", if people choose not to be around, they just lose out, thats it.

How hungry are you today, about spiritual things?
How hungry are you today, to make life worth living for God?
How hungry are you today, to stay focused and not be distracted by the negatives of life?

Then the answer would be:

The proof of your desire is in your pursuit.

What you are doing really shows what you really want.

The hardest thing for me last year, is to have fallen in love with the wrong person. But I chose to act rather than react. Though the emotions were strong, yet the spirit was stronger and I told myself. This feeling that 'I cant live without her' has to go.

And I took actions. I didnt dwell on it or wait for things to happen, I took the initiative. I took ownership of my own emotions. I started hanging out with others, with the right people of course. You got to position yourself for the breakthrough to happen.

In the company of the right people, I know that loving feeling will go away and Ill begin to appreciate others. I took a risk, even if I fell in love with my other friends, at least they're the right ones and if I can handle this loving feeling now, I can handle it in the future.

When we are in a relationship, we all will DEFINITELY fall in love with someone else other than our partner. I can prophesy to you hahaha. Just wait, it will happen. If we dont learn to deal with the love emotion, you are going to screw up your relationships in the future.

Now Im still friends with that girl of course. I dealt with the emotion, not the person. That is an art, a skill all of us must learn. It was a clean cut I would say. I cut our relationship so nicely that I still love the person, but Im not in love with her. Haha.

But of course, it was not without one month of pain and 'emotional separation'. But what has to be done, has to be done. As men, we got to learn to be decisive, and as women, you got to learn to be more stable and not get swayed by emotions all the time, if not the devil's gonna take the opportunity to sway your life away...

Learn to stop and think. Then do. Dont always react to anything and everything. Your life will never change because you're doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result. Thats insanity.

Its good to be shy sometimes haha, I tend to be naturally 'hesitant' about everything. Which .. in a way, gives me time to think. When Im angry, Im too shy to speak, when Im in love, Im too shy to act. But I prevent mistakes by doing so...in a way haha.

Learn to strike a balance.

Wisdom is doing the right thing,
At the right time,
With the right people,
Fulfilling the right purpose.

Relationship Conflicts - Should Guys/Girls Move? (SUPER LONG)

Was just smsing a friend this afternoon about marriage/relationships and its so important to know, that the people who choose will decide the destiny of our lives.

The question posed to me was, "In a cold war/conflict, should the guy make the first approach or the girl?"

Well, here's my take on it..it may not be right, its just a personal preference. :)

I believe, in a relationship, its no longer individuals but two becoming one. Its no longer about who is male, who is female, but the question would then be, does the person love the person enough to bother to do anything about it?

A couple is a team. Not just the existence of 2 individuals being together.

Yes, itll be good if the man lives up to his manhood, yet if he doesnt, the woman should still encourage and support the guy. A healthy relationship is one that makes each other a better person, more and more like Christ. Of course if a person is wrong, whether guy or girl, that person should at least try to work things out. Its no longer a matter of gender, but a matter of CHARACTER.

Cant remember which speaker, but he said, "The purpose of marriage is to be like Christ." Its a 'training place' to practice "God treating the church". Because Christ is the bridegroom and the church is its bride.

They say, the longer a couple stays together, the more they become alike. And people SHOULD see that. They should look like 'twins' or at least, brothers and sisters, in the way they think, they way they behave and do things together, etc. "2 becoming 1".

Personally, I strongly believe, that before entering a relationship, you gotta ask yourself, what is the level of your FRIENDSHIP. If there are conflicts, resolve it. Dont carry those errors into a relationship which is equivalent to suicide!

If already as friends you cant get along, whats the point of being together? You'll end up miserable and lost. Honesty and openness is vital in any relationship. Your partner has the right to know everything about you. Even your personal secrets! If there's no truth, how can a relationship prevail? Anything not built on truth will not last.

More than just being fully open, you have to be COMFORTABLE being fully open.

When you consider marriage, there's lots of things to consider.

For instance, marriage is a whole new level of relationship. Now, you have to face the challenge of the approval of your partner's parents and family members! How's your relationship with their family? All these should be well prepared even before you consider marriage.

Like they say, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

And if their relatives arent saved, what then is your evangelistic approach as a couple? The burden of reaching out to their family comes upon you. And then there's finances, kids, etc.

If you wanna be a 'tai tai' all your life, then you might as well just live alone. Marriage is not a holiday vacation, but a covenant of commitment!

Do you get along with your partner's friends? Does he/she get along with yours?
Do you like what he likes? Avoid what he doesnt like.
Same with guys, do you have interest for what your girl is interested in?
Make things work. Compatibility is not found, but CREATED.

Make room for mutuality. Come up with a list, eliminate areas that will affect your relationship, even if it means giving up on certain things you'd like to do. Afterall, shouldnt your partner be more important than your own life?

Moving on to old age...

One day when we are old, when our parents are gone and some of our friends have left early, will the 2 of you alone, be enough to finish your race of faith?

One day, when your spouse leaves you, what will become of you?

Then it all boils down to the most fundamental thing: Your relationship with God.

Dont wait until you're left alone with God then you start to make things work with Him! Start now! Ive had my fair share of lonely times, I learnt to rely on God and to live with Him. Back in poly, there was once I went out with dinner alone, just me and God in some romantic place with nice blues music.

You'll realize how real God is to you if you're just willing to allow Him. I know a friend who went to Sentosa chalet all by herself, with her guitar. Can you believe it? A holiday chalet, just her and God! I believe she had a great time! What about us? Have we 'dated' God out?

You'll be amazed just how much He wants to have a relationship with us!

I know that when all is gone, me and Him alone, is enough. I can still encourage, I can still receive revelation and by faith, I believe, even greater ones! :) But it all starts when you're young. Start now. They say, 'empty we have come, empty we will depart'. And its not just a saying, but an actual verse in the Bible (cant rem e reference tho, need to search again).

After ahma passed away, my parents brought back items found in her purse. I saw this jewellery that ahgong gave to ahma when he proposed. I just cried buckets after seeing it. Not just because I remembered ahma, but because I realized how fragile life really is.

I think it was a bracelet or something, it no longer exists anymore. It was a symbol of love and ahma had kept it with her since the day she got together with ahgong. Touching story, yet at the same time, a very important lesson to never take life for granted.

When I choose a partner, I see beyond the happiness. I see the end of my life and the future of my kids. Thats why its important to have a vision for your life. Without vision, people perish. More than just having a vision for the year, itll be better if you have a vision for the next 60 years of your life.

One day, everything we have, will be left behind for someone else. I know im the quiet, thinker type. It would be perfect if my future wife was the creative and outgoing type or something like that - having traits that I dont, then our children can take on both our DNAs and do greater things for his/her generation! Thats what it means to live for others, to leave behind a legacy.

What is your symbol of love today? Is it your wedding ring? Your Ed hardy? The garden of roses in your backyard? All these things are great, but when life is over. You cant bring your wedding ring into heaven to remind yourself of your wedding, or your spouse's love for you.

Ultimately, the symbol of love that will enter and last for eternity, is your character and your attitude to each other. Some people say, ohhh we shouldnt be too emotional, guys shouldnt be too sentimental, but arent those the things that will leave with you for the rest of eternity? God gave you emotions, dont despise them!

Without emotion, how can you feel God? You cant.
Without being sensitive, how can God speak to you? How can God even move in your life?
God uses people, not stones.

They say real men dont cry, come on, Jesus wept until His tears were like droplets of blood.
You're saying He's not a real man? Only the DEAD dont cry! Jesus Himself is as gentle as a lamb. The Holy Spirit is as gentle as a dove.

Whats so 'manly' or 'garang' about that? Nothing. Yet they are the Saviour of the world. Christ was esteemed to sit at God's right hand. Change your thinking. If you live by the world's standards, then you will change with the world. But if you live by God's standard, your life will be firm and unshakable. You will last the distance!

Honestly, if a guy cant lower his ego and cry, when his girl is crying, very often, he wont feel a thing!

You have sex but the bed breaks cus he too aggressive! Next morning you back pain, shoulder pain, everywhere KOYOK!
You rest your head on his shoulders but you end up having a BALUKU! Because his shoulders are too stiff!
You want a hug from a guy, but his hug is so strong it breaks your back and you end up in a wheelchair!
You want a kiss, but you end up with an ulcer because he was too violent.
On your wedding day, he places the ring on your finger, but accidentally shuffs it in too hard and sprain your finger cus he too macho then the ring stuck! Whoa, so manly! Yea right. Give me a break.

Stop living in a fairy tale. Hello? Dont tell me you still believe that when you place a broken tooth under your bed Chai Sen Godmama is gonna come and visit you? You let me know, maybe I can be Chai Sen Godmama to you. I come your house place $1000 under your pillow...monopoly money. o.o So that next time you play monopoly you can cheat and win. Haiyo please. Next time, if you're looking for a prince charming, go kiss a frog okay? Have some frogs leg soup too, very healthy. ^.O HUH?

Grrrrr! I dont understand some people! LOL. =/ ROARR!

You have one to live, live it with purpose! Life is not a game. You want game? Jio me out for L4D2! LOL.

Time to make major plans for my life. My 2 year NS Phase is gonna be over in 5 months. My next phase of my life, if its not uni, is gonna last for the next 20-30 years. Thats a long time! Back then, primary school was 6 years. Secondary school was 4 years. Poly 4 years. NS 2 years. Its kinda stressing when you're approaching the longest phase of your life, adulthood.

Yet at the same time, life is short and you realize you dont really have much time. Make every moment count. Dont go searching for excitement and happiness in the wrong places, life with God should be exciting and happy! Every year should be an adventure. In fact, He will give you more than you can ask or even think.

Dont just believe and get stirred up when you hear such statements, BELIEVE IT! Act on it. And you will see for yourself the fruits that will come along with it. :) God is a gentleman, if you want something that is wrong and God tells you not to go for it but you refuse to listen, He will let you have it and then let you regret it later, because He knows you're still a 'child' - someone who will only learn things the hard way and make you realize your own foolishness. He wont force things on you. ;)

God is interesting. Sometimes when He becomes too silent, you better start getting 'worried' lol. Cus God is not naturally silent. He's waiting for something to happen. ;) When He wants you to learn things the hard way, most of the time, He wont say a thing, see how blur you are :P If you realize your mistake before you suffer the consequence, He will say, "Aiya! You got Me! You found out! Thats my child! I knew he/she is just that smart!" ^^ God is a cute parent. :D

Lets be adults, dont always learn things the hard way. God has great plans in stored for us, He needs us to grow first before He entrusts certain plans to us, and He cant wait to bless us. So please, 'do God a favor', help Him meet His objective, grow up, change and mature automatically.

Even for me, if God always makes the first move, I will also feel paiseh. There must be times when you can say to God, 'God, leave it to me. You can trust me. I will do it.' God will be more than happy. Take initiative. Its a relationship. If you know what is right, do it. Add some romance into your relationship with God. ;)

Dont get too caught up with the "creation vs creator" mentality. God is a relational God. Its like you and your cgl, Im sure there are times you have this 'he/she cannot mess around with' or 'I cannot joke with him cus he's a leader' kind of mentality. Maybe in your first cg or something.

Sometimes, when people look up to me too much, it feels awkward because I just cant seem to be able to be 'normal friends' with them. There are times I wanna just be lame and crappy but some friends have this 'serious' impression of me and yea :S Im willing to go down to their level just to fellowship with them and all. :O

God is like that. Of course, Im not saying you should overstep your boundaries and become overly familiar, but yea, BALANCE. When its time to be serious, you be serious. Else, just enjoy the relationship with Him. :)

Rants (Arousal?)

While its true that men should 'see no touch', people dont realize that arousal in men is not always will/intention triggered. Visual neural signals are connected to the emotional vortex of the brain. Men are visually stimulated while women are stimulated by sound.

You call a guy, sometimes he doesnt hear, or maybe he thought he heard wrongly. You must stand in front and sometimes wave! You mention a girl's name, she thinks you're talking bad about her and she starts getting suspicious of you! Etc.

"Exciting" visuals create a biochemical reaction that creates phenylethlamine (is this e right spelling? I cant rem), a drug similar to cocaine (intoxication). Yes, its 'Chemistry' that you talk about. So dont think men who dont compromise dont struggle, in fact they fight and suffer because of your selfish sense of 'style'.

Thats why knowledge is power. If you have no knowledge, you have no power. And above knowledge, get wisdom!

Nothing To Post Lately...

Life ends when you stop dreaming,
Hope ends when you stop believing,
Love ends when you stop caring,
Friendship ends when you stop sharing.

God doesnt change His timetable to suit you,
You change yours to suit Him.
Who do you love? Him? Or yourself?
Who is God? Him? Or yourself?

Who controls your life? Him? Or yourself?

If you control your own life,
Then your life is controlled by imperfection
(Because thats who you are).
If He controls your life,
Then your life is controlled by love, power, peace, hope, joy, victory. (Because thats who He is)

Meeting Needs?

Its strange...if you noticed Jesus' life, many times, its the unbelievers or the uncommon people who welcomed Him, gave Him food to eat, poured oil on His feet, welcomed Him to their house, etc.

Have you ever noticed, none of Jesus' disciples met Jesus' need? The ones closest to Him were the ones who were always 'taking' from Him in a way, yes, they learnt things, but they were still there to 'feed off' from Him.

Nothing wrong with learning, but...well, you can imagine the picture. Haha...

Food for thought...

Realizations of Relationships in 2009 (Long Post)

I had a desire to find the right girl back in 2009, and so, in the beginning of the year, I had that vision, but I wasnt sure if it was from God, or was it my own vision.

Along the way, God whispered to me, that He feels Im not ready for it. And so, Ill be like.."Oh, okay, anything You say."

But surprisingly, along the way, I had a crush on this girl.

We knew each other for more than 4 years already, we were close like siblings and buddies, and its weird, because, being so close to her, like a childhood friend, its pretty hard and rare to have that kind of chemistry. Its like, you already know each other 'too well'.

You dont fall in love with your sibling right? Yea, you get my point lol.

And when I fell in love, I thought that year (2009) was THE year for me. And me falling in love, was already a great sign that God has begun to do a work, it was the start of greater things to come...

But God spoke to me, 'now is not the time'. So I made a decision, to give up that dream, without giving up on that friendship. I still treasured the person, but I just didnt want to have that 'chemistry'.

Most guys, when encountered by this situation, theyll seek a break up...and by that, it means, a TOTAL break up. That means, they wont even be friends! But of course, in the Kingdom of God, that is now how we work.

He who wins souls (friends) is wise! We love unconditionally, we sacrifice, we give, we serve others, etc.

So for a period of last year, it was emotionally painful for me, having to 'separate' that chemistry and cut it so CLEANLY, that it doesnt affect our friendship. By the grace of God, it worked. And we were still good friends, hung out once in awhile, and yet, I no longer have that 'falling in love' feeling. :)

Most people, by hanging out with an 'ex-crush', they tend to compromise and fall back in love, but by God's strength, that is not so for me. I developed the capacity to place what is right, over what is good. Saying no, even to someone that means so much to me.

Its so funny of God because, He gives you a vision, yet along the way, He gives you an encounter that makes you feel you have arrived, but then, even though it was a 'fulfillment', God made it a 'wrong fulfillment'. Haha.

Yes, I almost entered a relationship (goal settled), but yet it was the wrong person, wrong time. (goal ended up didnt work). Its like God taking me on a roller coaster ride. :x lol.

Sometimes, our friends can become so close, they're on par with God Himself. God and friends, they become interchangeable. But lets not be like that. God is a jealous God, and He turns away from the one who chooses his/her own path.

The same way I felt, was the same way He felt.

That is why we got to build our relationship with God! That even as close friends, they still cannot be compared with God Himself!

Worship is not putting God first,
Worship is putting God ONLY.

And so, the past 2 months, me and her have been 'companions'. We would just meet up occasionally just to have a meal, to chat and to just be crappy and all. Still no chemistry haha. Ive outgrown that stage, my capacity has been enlarged and thank God for that. :)

But its just that after 2-3 months of sacrificing my TIME, Im starting to become tired and weary. God, in a way, gave me a preview of what its like to commit to a relationship.

You all know, I love computer games. I love spending solitude time now and then. I love the comfort of my home, etc. Yet though we enjoy each other's company, I was feeling a little tired, even as normal friends, dont even talk about being attached.

Its just the pain of forsaking my freedom as a 'bachelor', or a single person, that I cant deal with.

There were things I were still holding on to, such as my time for games, L4D, guitar, etc. I wanted a relationship at the start of this year, but thats not the case now.

More than just the things Im still holding on to, Ive learnt that this is not my time yet. Why?

God brought to remembrance, what He whispered the beginning of last year, "Hey, I think you're not ready yet..." (Its just a small whisper).

I have no problems giving, serving or even sacrificing my finances, my energy, my time. In fact, I LOVE to give. No doubt I had the gift of giving and the capacity to serve, I lacked the endurance capability.

Yes, I can sacrifice, I can give, I can serve and do all these easily, but Im not able to last even 3 months, doing it consecutively, once every week! Just imagine, I only spend time with her once a week, and Im already so drained. :S No wonder God said I wasnt ready.

And to make things even clearer, He knew I did not have the endurance, so what did He do to develop that endurance in me? Though the hardships I went through in 2009.

The commitment to cg, to church, to family, to NS, to the 'hospital' and to ministry. :O And I began to go, 'WOW! I never saw it..'. But yea, right now, I just allow God room to change me, to lead me and to guide me in this area. If it comes, it comes, if it doesnt, its okay. Haha.

Ive learnt not to be a smart alec.
And you should not be one either!

The wisdom of man is already foolishness to God, then to challenge Him and think your way is the best, its like being the greatest fool!

If God whispers and you cant hear,
Then be careful,
God is preparing to 'show you the point' and 'teach you the lesson', through a painful experience.

If you dont obey His voice, you will eventually obey His hand. :) Haha. Be wise, dont wait till God have to discipline you in order for you to understand! Be a spiritual ADULT.

A mature person is not just one who can take charge,
But one who is able to be led by the Spirit.

Today...

Are you led by God?
Or are you led by yourself?

If you cant be led by God,
Then it just shows you're not really following Him.
He's not really your God.
Because if He's not your Lord of ALL, He's not your LORD at all!

Abilities and Endurance.

As people made in His image and likeness, are we able to be LIKE Him, that people can never out give us?

Its one level to have the capacity to give, its another level to have the capacity to endure and stay focused on a life of constant sacrifice.

And how does the bible describe the 'formation' of endurance/patience?

Through hardships, trials and tribulations.

Enlarging Yourself Personally For 2010 (Expanded)

1. In Leadership: Not laws but liberty! (Gal 5:23)

- Dont limit creativity and opinions. Be open and spontaneous.
- An unsuccessful person thinks about survival. An average person thinks about maintenance. But a successful person thinks about progress!

2. In Serving: Not hierarchy but heart! (Mt 20:25-28)

- Always look out for others. Leadership is not about having a large title or rank, leadership is about having a large group of supporters, people who enjoy working with you, people who respect you.

3. In Ability: Not self-centred but spirit-centred! (Zech 4:6, 2 Cor 12:19)

- Dont stay in your comfort zone. Sometimes you got to step out and do something you're not familiar with and depend on God. But firstly, that dream must come from God. Only then will it last. Unless you're faced with an impossibility, you will never see the impossible happen.
- TRY and DEPEND, and God will FULFILL.

4. In Discipline: Not legalism but love!

- Rules and regulations may shape an outcome, but love will shape a person!

5. In Creativity: Not fear but faith! (2 Tim 1:6-7)

- Learn to accept constructive criticism. Dont always put down an idea, if not no idea will ever surface again! Be open, be expressive. Make room for failure.
- Fear cripples. A person/company that instills fear is crippled in itself! Dont expect anything to come out of it.

6. In Love: Not control but care!

- People dont care how much you know, until they know how much you care.
- Love is the desire to benefit others at the expense of self, lust is the desire to benefit self at the expense of others.

7. In Work: Not duty but devotion! (Exo 17:12)

- Dont just have a small, puny, selfish dream, to just have enough to survive! The size of your dream is the size of your God.
- Go the extra mile.
- Many people say, "Its not my job, why should I do it?" - WHO CARES ABOUT YOUR JOB? Im sure your parents giving birth to you is not just a job!

8. In Attitude: Not getting but giving! (2 Cor 9:6-7)

- People leave a legacy not because of what they owned, but because of what they've contributed.
- You may not always be appreciated. Yet its the attitude thats important.
- You can put on so much make up, dress so well, yet because you're always taking, and never giving nor serving, no wonder no one notices you!

9. In Lifestyle: Not explanation but example! (Jhn 13:13-15)

- You can never lead someone by explaining. Because at times, you yourself may not even be doing what you preach! Dont just talk the talk, walk the walk. Dont just be a hearer, but a doer.

Goals for 2010

1. Tithe my month to prayer and fasting. (3/24 - aiming on the 1st 3 days of the month)

2. Tithe my day to prayer and worship. (2.4hrs a day - 1hr morning, 1hr night, rest spread out during the day)

3. Greater breakthrough and intimacy in my relationship with God.
4. New levels of revelation.
5. $10,000
6. 68kg
7. Salvation
8. Cooking
9. My own acoustic guit
10. Upgrade comp's RAM (4GB DDR3) and graphics card (1GB ATI Radeon card). - Stop procrastinating haha.
11. Windows 7
12. Find a life partner

Following, Leaning, Pressing, Absorbing, Changing.

We become who we follow.

How is it possible? I came to realize when I was chatting about fasting. Fasting is an act of dependency on God, and the renouncing of your flesh, and showing it who's boss.

I began to ponder...how come when people fast, they carry so much anointing? Then I figured it has to do with the leaning on God factor. Of course, consecration is another thing.

You cant eat wanton with soup unless you unpack the wanton right? Who would put the whole packet, including the wrapper into the soup? o.o Thats how I see consecration, or in another word, sanctification. How 'pure' are we for God to fill?

We may have a big capacity, but if half of it is full with the wrong things, then God can only fill us to HALF. :O

So...yes...the leaning...

I found out that leaning on someone is also a form of pressing. Why do I say so? Just lean on someone. Now lean harder. Dont tell me, you find yourself floating further away from the person. ^.O

More than just an act, it is a GESTURE, I would say, a gesture of pressing in.

Thats why Adam, my cgl always shares with us, that he always hangs out with pastor and other spiritual giants, because in the fellowship of the wise, you will be wise. We've all heard that before.

In the context of fasting, when we lean on God, we press into God, we then absorb His wisdom, His anointing, His revelation, etc...and once it has become a part of us, we are now changed into someone better. We then have, what we call, a spiritual BREAKTHROUGH.

So who are the ones closest to you?
The ones you LEAN on?

You may not know it, but spiritually, you are pressing into that person. Thats how we become who we follow, we absorb his/her character traits, even flaws if we're not careful.

Hanging out with an angry person, will make you angry. Not immediately, but over a prolonged period of time, because when you lean, you press in, and then you absorb.

Some people manifest during deliverance, but they've not done anything wrong. :O Then why? Could be..its because of the people you associate with. You need discernment to tell which 'friend' of yours has a life that's well...not right.

Leaning, pressing in and relying too much on that person will have 'side effects' in your personality and ultimately, your lifestyle.

A quiet person can end up violent, all because of wrong...COMPANY.

WE always hear the term, wrong company, but we never truly realized how powerful those relationships are.

Ps Robb, one of my favourite speakers made this powerful statement:

"It is foolish to think that we are in control of our lives, when in fact, our destiny is shaped by the ones to whom we grant access".

Everything physical is also the same in the spiritual.

When we build close ties with someone, we invoke something in the spirit realm, that causes that 'absorption' and ultimately, the person we eventually become.

Thats also why, you dont have to be a fool.
Just hang around one and you'll be one.

Similarly, you may be a 'low-grader', but if you hang around those who succeed in life, you will end up becoming that person whom you follow, successful and making an impact for your generation! ;)

If you have bad lifestyles or habits, then why not start looking at the people closest to you. Of course, being close is one thing, you can be close to someone and yet not lean/press into him/her. So yea, use the 'common sense' approach haha.

1. Who you lean on, you press into.
2. Who you press into, you absorb.
3. What you absorb, changes you.
4. That which changes you, changes your life.

Good night all! :D

Proverbs 23 NLT

29 Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

30 It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new drinks.

31 Don't let the sparkle and smooth taste of wine deceive you.

32 For in the end it bites like a poisonous serpent; it stings like a viper.

33 You will see hallucinations, and you will say crazy things.

34 You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast.

35 And you will say, "They hit me, but I didn't feel it. I didn't even know it when they beat me up. When will I wake up so I can have another drink?"

Mind Your Body - Knowledge Is Power!

"A flushed face is an indication of e lack of dehydrogenase, an enzyme, that breaks down alcohol."

"When alcohol is broken down by the liver, fatty acids are released."

"Hangovers and its symptoms are the result of alcohol poisoning in the bloodstream."

"Teens that have a habit of sleeping after midnight are more prone to depression and suicidal thoughts."

"Brisk walking help relieve stress, anxieties, and improves sleep." - So dont always take your own sweet time! LOL.

"Too much sugar impairs the cells in your immune system which are responsible for fighting viruses". - So is it true people who stuff themselves with chocolates tend to fall sick easier? You decide. :D There are lots of other ways to make one happy without food or even sleep.

And from my opinion, people who sleep a lot, especially to get away from problems, tend to be less responsive and proactive. They end up not being competent in problem solving activities.

RANDOM FACEBOOK UPDATES

If a child is refrained from playing in the rain when young, he/she wont be able to develop immunity against colds. You have to let his/her body learn 'countermeasures' and how to fight.

Give a child the freedom to develop in his area of interest and you raise up a legend by the time he grows up. Mozart, Einstein, all had silly dreams when they were young, yet they did not despise the days of small beginnings. And you should never despise that spark of creativity that a child has.

Change

The Five Love Languages

My primary love language is probably
Quality Time
with a secondary love language being
Acts of Service.

Complete set of results

Quality Time:		11
Acts of Service:		7
Words of Affirmation:		6
Physical Touch:		4
Receiving Gifts:		2

Information

Unhappiness in relationships, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don't understand our partner's requirements, or even our own. We all have a "love tank" that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by which our tank can be filled, and there are different ways that we can express love to others.

Take the quiz

Have I changed over my ns years? I think so, I guess some things and people affect me. I dont deny that our destiny is shaped by the ones we call 'friends'.

WOA has dropped..hmm maybe its because of people who dont reply or take effort to press into people's lives, and its always me doing everything. Oh wells, it doesnt really matter anymore haha. Somehow unknowingly, my emotions are being accustomed to being alone all the time..:o AOS used to be the bottom 2 for me..:O

My previous love language was...

WOA - QT - GG - PT - AOS

Quite a drastic change haha. And now, words dont really affect me anymore haha. Either that or some people just have nothing really nice to say.

Ive learnt and experienced that...

When you're lying in hospital, unconscious, its no longer the words that mean the most, especially if you're not fluent in their language and always feel stuck and depressed over not being able to communicate fluently to assure that person, but its the little things we do, the time we spend, that means the most to me. 2009 has been a year where the hospital is like my 3rd home, apart from my own home and church.

Loving someone is not just about talking the talk, most people will say "You can count on me", but yea, count on you, Im still counting...to see when they will start to move, lol. Ive learnt to make trips down to the hospital at least once a week, sometimes twice, for the past 1.5 years. I told myself, since I cant speak fluently in dialect, the least I could do is to lay hands and pray. Not just praying from afar off!

How does Jesus love us? He intercedes for us, at the same time, we have His what?

PRESENCE!

Afterall, you cant love someone without LOVING someone right? Haha. Love is useless without the presence. Until you learn to cherish the presence of God, you'll find it hard to understand the importance of the presence of someone you love.

This is a real-life example of what people can bring out in you. Haha. Under different circumstances, my love language changes..hmm.

The Start Of 3/12

Tithing finances is saying, 'God, I put You first in my finances',
And heaven is open over our finances.

You can pray for all the blessings, yet if heaven is not open, whats the point?
No matter how great the breakthrough, it cant come to you.

Tithing the month itself is saying, "God, I put You first in everything I do for this month", and heaven is open over the entire month.

To avail yourself is not to have nothing else better to do,
To avail yourself is to CHOOSE to put aside what you are already doing,
For something that's more important.

Its not about how busy you are,
Its about who's more important to you.

If He is not your Lord of "ALL", He is not your "LORD" at all.

Outdated Updates

I think I forgot to blog about 2 things:

1. My overall Staff Assessment Report grading for end 2009, is 82% / 100.
2. Ive been selected to march in the parade of the handing over of the Commissioner or Police.

Weekends coming...

Manliness?

Muscles, garangness and the ability to drink doesnt define a man. Because there are muscular jerks, garang fools and drinkers who end up looking pregnant (with a tummy) as they get older.

Whooooaaaa! A real man! Yea right. Let me give up the priority seat to you next time ok? Oh sorry, I thought you were pregnant. You mean you werent? Oh sorry, I thought you were transsexual then...

Whooooaaaa! You can really drink! A real man! Congratulations on your third wife!

Whoaaaaaaa! So macho and garang! A real man! Yea right, garang what garang? GARANG GUNI ah, garang!

Next time why not you just marry Mas Selamat, since he's muscular (he escaped SG all by himself, it shows he's fit!), he's garang too, VERY garang. He's a real man you know? He can even protect you...by blowing up aeroplanes.

Yea, go paste his poster all over your room and fantasize all day!

"Real man"? What rubbish are you talking about?
"Ohhhh, but I sooo love him!!!!!!"

Yea right. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
If your words are like rubbish, its because on the inside you're like rubbish! LOL.

Prayer

Back to the lifestyle of prayer and the Word.

Even though things are okay for me,
Lord, I will still seek Your face.
I will not turn to you only when I need something.

Just finished my prayer-partner chain :) Excited for great things to happen!

The Lonely Road

For a start,

Ive not been 'really' blogging haha. Most of the time Im just posting notes, but for a change, Im gonna post what I really feel, the things that go on in my life, etc. So...cut me some slack okay? hahaha. :P

I know there will be those who will comment and msg me and tell me, 'ohhh andrew, u shouldnt be so negative, blahblahblah', hey! Am i your friend or not? Yes, having 'disciplers' are good. Yet sometimes, I need FRIENDS too right? People who are willing to listen, to sympathize, to just...share my life together and walk this road together with me, isnt that what friends are supposed to do? Stick through thick and thin? Haha.

I get the feeling some people just want me for my revelations. Haha! OOPS! Did I hit a nail? LOL. Nah, it doesnt matter to me haha, its your life and I dont wanna be too much of a busybody. God rewards, not me. Besides, its not just 'my' revelation, but its God's.

Anyway, back to the point, haha...

One thing Ive learnt from Evangeline, as well as from the life of some pastors, that a successful leader, tends to walk alone for a long time, sometimes even YEARS, walking alone, for some reason. Maybe its because of the price they were willing to pay.

And its those years spent alone, when God draws so close to them. With literally no one around them, and no one to rely on, these great men and women of God learned to lean on God. And its those tough times that makes a cheerful person.

You know, I have quite a number of non christian friends and they live really happy lives. I have a friend, who had a treat to a meal her 21st birthday, thats all! And that alone has made her feel she has the whole world! I mean, honestly, I was blown away. That the little things in life, really mean alot to some people who have learnt to be grateful.

Yes, people dont always have what we have, they may not be that 'sophisticated', yet they learn to treasure the simple things in life. Sometimes we want so many things, yet when we do get them, are we really happy? Most of the time, the things we want are merely things to cover up certain hurts or emptiness.

Sometimes, you gotta learn from the non christians, really. Im not sharing some theology, its truth man! lol. If you wanna learn to be happy, learn from those who ARE happy! DUH! Of course dont learn the wrong things, have some COMMON SENSE.

I was watching a TV show last night, showing some really inspirational stories of people with handicaps going through life like a champion and I began to relate so well with it. That you will never be a cheerful and grateful person, if you always have everything. True?

You will never understand the true value of friendship, until the day it has been taken away from you, and so on...same with other aspects. Thank God for a great familly, and a few close friends, these are the simple things in life we should never take granted for.

Did I choose to live a lonely life, withdrawn from people? Of course not. No one would even desire something like that unless he/she is, well...not right? haha. But someone how God has led me to this life, that somehow, I dunno why, I find people withdrawing, not me. Well, I do sometimes, but I dont know, haha. It just feels this way. My love tank isnt getting any deposits.

I mean, thank God for people to L4D with, to watch movies with, to even have a simple meal with haha. I really treasure everyone. Thank you, thank you :) But if there arent any, well, life still goes on right? I mean, I cant force people to do things and Ill never will. I dont think God forces either. ;)

There are even times He would 'allow' a mistake...those we consciously make when we choose to insist on our own ways, He'll just say, "if you really want it, you can have it". At the end of the day, we just end up learning the hard and painful way...the chastening of the Lord..haha.

Of course, if you're smart, you'll be teachable and proactive to avoid the 'caning' of the Lord. If you're always getting 'caned' in order to learn your lessons, then something is not right. You've not grown to that stage of 'spiritual adulthood' or rather, another term would be, 'spiritual MATURITY' yet. :O

In life, what you want, you seldom GET. It is only GIVEN to you.
By God, according to His discretion.

I know God is doing a work in me. What work? I dont know. But I know its great enough for Him to put me through such great fire like these.

The most precious diamonds are often placed in the hottest furnaces.

Some people cant imagine what its like growing up with no friends in school, before 13 rather. They just cant imagine what it would be like. Well, what is your capacity? If you dont have the capacity to go through something, or if you dont want and are afraid to go through such things, then God wont force it upon you.

I posted a revelation on FB a few hours ago...that...

The greatest victory in life is total surrender to the Right Person.
All of us want life to be easier.
But how many actually come to a point where God fights for you instead?

The key..? One word:

Relationship.

Short

When people start having cliques.
The individual friends dont matter to them anymore...

Self Realization (Long Post)

Many times I talked about having the right friends determine your destiny. And Ive been reflecting through it, that all these while, I was making the very mistake I shared about.

I began to see my life, the people around me, those whom I pressed in, all the time, its always me going "Boo!", "Yo!", "Heyyy", "Haaarlooo", very seldom, people even bother to do the opposite by being the first to msg me, call me, or anything like that.

Sometimes, I feel silly, other times, I feel neglected and unloved. Like, are all these 'friends' DEAD? Why is it so hard to even have a reaction from you?

As a result, because of some 'friends', my christian walk has stagnated, 'diverted', etc. It wasnt healthy for me. Many times I would feel confused, should I withhold my finances? Yet God will speak to me through the sermon on the mount, "And do not withhold from anyone who borrows..." That I should be a lender and not a borrower.

And other times, when I feel that Im always the one pressing in, being involved in other people's lives, and I feel tired and depressed, I would think that just ignoring these people is better, it will just make me happier. Yet God will again remind me, "Obedience is greater than sacrifice".

Thats why I kept on giving, pressing in, loving, giving my time, giving my energy, etc. Because I love God and I wanna be obedient to Him. People say, I should, for once care about myself. Well, its good that I should, yet at the same time, what would my life be if I've always cared about myself instead of caring for others?

I wouldnt be the Andrew I am today.

Ive learnt to have the 'Spare Heart' mentality. That yes, I will still reply people, I will still give my best to encourage, to provide, etc, I will still give my all, my whole heart to that person...

YET...

I will always keep within me a 'Spare Heart'. Knowing that some people are just out there to steal away my heart, to 'make use' or to benefit from my sacrifices, and I know it can lead me to depression. Therefore, this year, Ive decided. Ill give everyone my 'many' hearts. (Its like a duplication of my WHOLE heart, haha)

Whether you return my heart to me, its none of my business. Its between you and God because you are holding onto something that doesnt belong to you, my time, my energy, my sacrifice. Hahaha.

I will still keep a Spare Heart within me, and not be bothered or affected by those who ARENT around me. That way, Im still able to give my heart, my all, my attention, my love, my sacrifices, to those who ARE around me. :D

You're still welcome to come back. You're still welcome to approach me. But Ive decided. I wont take you seriously. Ill just give you what you want. :D Its pretty simple, whatever you sow into my soil, you'll reap from it. Whatever you dont, well, you can go sow somewhere else :)

I believe that the things Ive sown, I will reap. I know that God is a good God. And He repays accordingly. :D So its okay, ultimately, Im accountable to God. And Ive learnt to fear God more than men. :D

This year, Im gonna take my relationships to another level.

I dont wanna a smart alec anymore. Where God leads me, I will go. When its time to cling, Ill cling. When its time to let go, Ill let go. At the same time, when God doesnt move, I dont. I just learn to be happy and enjoy every moment, with anyone, wherever I am :D

This is what we call...BALANCE. (Ive learnt that the hard way. lol. Ive been so exposed to hypocrites every now and then, its pretty easy now to tell who is and who isnt. ;) Afterall, Ive been a little 'too' immersed into them the past one year :S)

Many people have convicted me by saying that I should be more wise. And I wanna take every opportunity I can to grow, so Im learning my own limits and all...:)

For those who want me to be a better person, Ill do my best not to let you down, just tell me what I need to do. :) Im no longer gonna waste my time on people who dont need me, when there in fact are those who have invested their lives into me.

If Im always distracted by the negative, wont I be a bad steward then?

I wanna make sure that as much as I believe that we should all press into each other's lives, I dont wanna let those who have pressed into mine, down. Because Ive grown to know how it feels like.

Again, I dont wanna sound self-centred, yet Ive learnt the importance of balance.

Even Jesus Himself, withdrew from certain people. Does it mean He still doesnt love them? Of course not. Whenever they turned to Him, He would be filled with compassion. And knowing that they're just there for their needs, after feeding/healing them, He departs with His disciples, those who are genuine and serious about following Him. ;)

God is a gentleman, He doesnt force Himself on us. ;)

Just a sidetrack...while chatting with Evangeline I came across an interesting revelation.

How God expresses His love for me, reflects my true love language. :O

OKAY!!! Before you even say anything, I just wanna say, I DONT KNOW to what extent this is true! HAHAHA. But Im just sharing as it came across my mind :D lol.

You see...

In my life..

God hardly sends people to serve me, in fact, I admit I feel shy whenever people wanna 'serve' me or treat me with 'intense respect' lol. Seeing that, AoS is my LOWEST love language. :O

Now, for PT, as much as I feel 'deprived' in this area, I realized God doesnt send, or rather, HARDLY sends anyone to give me a hug. Aww. The last time He did it was in the last service of the year. Once in awhile, people give me a good shrug at the shoulders, etc. Afterall, God knows me better than I know myself.

For GG, Ive seen a fair share of those. I mean, just look at my room. One board full of cards of people Ive received since day 1 I came to church. lol. Im quite a sentimental person and even God agrees. :D Ive mixed this one with PT as well. But God seemed to show me they're swopped and that Im a little more GG than PT :O

True? Im still discovering myself haha. Cus hardly anyone give me PT to begin with, so I dont know to what extent PT fills my love tank :(

Next is QT. Now, I dunno, but Ive always thought this was my primary love lang. Later Ill explain why I think God is showing me that it isnt. No doubt that whoever I spends time with, I tend to build one of the closest relationships with, yet time and time again, God has put this area to the test, as some of you know, I always end up ... well ... 'alone'.

Now, the ultimate revelation of my love language...FROM GOD HIMSELF...

WORDS OF AFFIRMATION.

After all Ive gone through, this is one area that kept me surviving and staying strong. Evangeline made me realize, that God's way of intimacy with me, which sometimes Ive overlooked...its through WOA. What examples do you say?

One word: REVELATIONS.

When all else have failed!
When friends have left!
When no one hugs!

One thing God has given to me, is REVELATION. Powerful.
Words of affirmation!

I know that Im affected when people dont reply, when they stay away, or when they totally disappear, when there is no interaction. My love tank doesnt need to drain from a person's life by being offended, just leave it alone and it will drain by itself :O

Similarly, I know God loves me, because He speaks to me. :)

This is how God has shown that He loves me.
This is how Ive felt so close to God.
Every single day, my love whispers secrets into my ears.

The very words that bring life and encouragement.

God, thank you for being so loving and romantic with me.
Even though for the past year, Ive failed to realize how much You loved me.
Yet You kept on pouring, You kept on speaking. Thank You so much.
Lord, I will treasure every moment I have with You,
I will treasure every Word that You've spoken to me.
That truly whatever You have spoken, it shall not return to You void. :)

Lord, do a new thing, in 2010! :)