Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns (in movie Facing the Giants)

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!"

Chorus:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
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 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 lookin' down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

* * *

Have faith!

~ Mirabel

Letting Go to Trust

This is a picture of me (i'm the one who looks a little like spiderman, being pulled up the wall. Haha) during an activity in my recent YN144 Leaders ReEncounter. The challenge was to get everyone in the group (about 20 of us) up to the top of wall and to take a group picture there.

There is no way any of us can ascend the wall alone - the gaps in wood planks are too small to grip, and our group's Ps William also warned us that if we hook our fingers through the slits and then fall backwards and down, our fingers can most likely be dislodged from our palms.

i climbed unto the shoulders of two poor brothers (haha), stretched my arms to reach Ps William and other brothers already on top, and then i simply.... waited.

There was nothing more for me to do, or that i could do. I have neither the length of body to reach the top edge, nor the strength to lift and flip myself over the edge.

I smiled to my brothers up there and said, "You can pull me up now", which after a while, they did. I was the first lady in the group to reach the top! Hooray. Haha.

No fear, because i know those above me will grip me; and those below will catch me if i fall.

* * *

The secret to success? Letting go and trust.

Do you trust your cell sisters and church family enough that you can be sure that when you let go, they will hold or catch you?

Sometimes we have to let go of striving ALONE, to understand that. Some of us are too used to striving alone.

Ps Nina spoke about the strength of the inner Spirit last Sunday. We cannot receive or experience that, if we choose to work on our own strength.

* * *

And what happens if everyone in a family lets go and trust one another altogether?

We make it to the top together! What a beautiful picture! :)

Beautiful Christmas Service

WELCOME CHIEW LI!!!

SO GOOD TO HAVE YOU, AMANDA!!!

SHER MINH AND MICHELLE, YOU WERE MISSED! :)

Dear girls,

I found this year really beautiful to have journeyed with each of you in different ways. I must say, many of you have grown in the Lord significantly. Praise God!

In the new year, we will still find ourselves at different faith levels and journeys. And i think the description of the body of Christ as the human body is most apt in depicting how we should move forward.

1 Corinthians 12:12-27
12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

It is extremely important and strategic for us to build one another (not leaving anyone aside) up in the new year themed for FCBC 'Love Our Neighbours' (L.O.N). God will be using us to love and serve many. The My Hope parties were a good beginning; and each of you have done well. :)

love,
Mirabel

My Faith Story for 12 July

I was praying throughout today for God to grant me the chance to pray for at least one of the beauticians at my facial place tonight. Not unexpectedly I began to fidget upon reaching the vicinity and wondered, 'They are always so busy... What excuse should I use?'..

Reminding myself that the first step is BLESS... I scooted off to buy four bottles of chrysanthemun and offered them. FELLOWSHIP time was throughout my enjoyable facial. Haha.

Towards the end of the session, seeing that all of them were still busy, I began to talk myself into giving up. Yet I knew I had prayed and God would not let me leave like this. So at the last moment, I said to Nancy for the first time (Why didn't I do it last time??) and very sincerely, 'Nancy, do you know you can feel free to share your prayer requests with me? I will gladly pray for you'. My heart thumped slower.

Before I even described the 100k campaign to her, she began to share, frowning, about her worries about some possible problems with the landlord. Immediately I said, 'Come! I pray for you!', blessing her beyond what she shared. (Sharing of Real Needs - PRAYING ANSWERED PRAYERS)

The next moment, she looked at me with big watery eyes (like a cartoon character), cupped my face with both hands, then hugged me and began to thank me profusely. She said, 'You are really a very kind girl' and I replied, 'No, my GOD is good! Dare to ask God too yourself, anytime you need a blessing!'. (PROCLAIM) =)

* * *

Gals, the land is really filled with people with needs. Be bold to go and bless. The people out there are thirsty for blessings. And when they see us bless them with no strings attached, they are touched deeply by God's unconditional love. Will you be that representative today?

Not us, then who?
Not now, then when?

* * *

So joyful that God still used me even at my verge of giving up for today, I tried to bless the taxi driver who brought me home. I could not think of any opening line and blurted, 'Do you work until very late?'

The driver gave me a bewildered look, anxiously shook his head, and looked ahead. Oops case closed for this.

As I walked to my flat, I chuckled to myself, 'Oh no, did I sound like I wanted to ask him out just now??!!!!'

* * *

Who can I bless tomorrow? =)

Making Prayer a Priority

Dear gals,

How is your prayer life like?

Are we neglecting this gift from God to be able to pray and talk to God above through prayer?

I thought that the tips below are simple and useful for us to strengthen our prayer life.

May 28, 2007
Making Prayer a Priority
By Marybeth Whalen

“The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.” Psalm 6:9 (NIV)

Devotion:
As Christians, it is one thing to know we need to pray, but it is another thing entirely to make prayer a priority in the course of our busy day. So today we’ll look at some practical ways to strengthen our prayer life no matter how busy we are. These are just tips and tricks I have picked up along the way through my own experience or from people I respect. I hope you will take a few of them and immediately apply them to your life. When our prayer life is strong, our walk with God and our time with Him is magnified a hundredfold.

1. Commit to spending the first moments of your day in prayer before you even get out of the bed. Get in the habit of devoting just a few minutes before you put your feet on the floor just claiming the day for Him and offering up all you will do for His glory and the good of His kingdom. Starting the day this way will help your perspective with whatever you have facing you, be it whiny kids or a demanding boss. Doing this daily will eventually become a habit.

2. When you feel yourself start to worry, use those thoughts as an immediate trigger to begin silently praying, no matter where you are or what you are doing.

3. Make your mealtimes a time for significant prayer. Whether this is something your whole family does, or just something you observe on your own, praying before you eat can become more than a quick, “Thank You for this food.”

4. Instead of spending your prayer time begging God for a list of needs, designate a time each day to do nothing but reflect on God’s goodness towards you and your family. Meditating on God’s blessings is a great way to strengthen your faith. As you reflect on what He has done, you will have confidence in what He will do.

5. Post index cards or post-it notes around your house to remind you of things to pray for. This can include prayer requests and praises. Every time you see the notes (including on our blog's Prayer Box), pray immediately.

6. Before you dive right into your prayers, spend some time being silent before God. Ask Him to speak to you in the silence. If you can, journal what He is telling you, whether it’s a word or phrase He brings to mind, a passage of Scripture He directs you to, or a word-picture He gives you, get it down on paper so you can reflect on it further later.

7. Keep a prayer journal of requests, and periodically go back and fill in answers to those requests. (Remember the faithfulness of God in answering your prayers!)

8. Change your prayer position ever now and then. If you usually sit in one spot, move to another one. Kneel, walk, or fall down on the floor with your face to the ground. Try lighting candles or playing soft praise music to set the tone for prayer.

9. If you find yourself lying awake at night, use that time to pray. Talk to God instead of counting sheep!

10. My friend Lorrie Flem shared this idea: Pray for certain people when you do certain daily tasks. Lorrie prays for her brother every time she brushes her teeth. This habit can invigorate the most mundane of tasks and make them purposeful. You might find you look forward to vacuuming when you know you will be spending time praying for your spouse while you do it!

11. Finally, remember that prayer is nothing more than a conversation with your Best Friend. He knows you intimately and loves you anyway. He wants to hear from you and doesn’t need a lot of pomp and circumstance to do so. If all else fails, keep it simple and just talk to Him all day long!

Dear Lord, I want my prayer life to be stronger. I want to spend more time talking to You and drawing closer to You. I pray that You would help me to be mindful of what I can do to make prayer a priority. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.



Application Step:
Write down three things you will do this week to make prayer a priority. Consider asking someone to hold you accountable to doing this.



Power Verses:
I Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray continually.” (NIV)

Romans 8:26 , “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words can not express.” (NIV)

Ephesians 6:18 , “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (NIV)

Approaching G12 (and Cell) Meetings with Faith

This is a recent sharing from Ps YC which spoke sharply to me.

I too, am 'guilty' of bearing thoughts like "Maybe i don't need to share so much, don't wish to impose on my sisters/brothers" sometimes.

Dear gals, i hope that this article will jolt you out of such wrong mentalities (if you have) too. Know that God is concerned about your real needs, and that you are each, an important part of the Body. Yes, everyone of you.

luv,
Mirabel

* * *

[Source of article]

Warriors of Light, how are you approaching G12 (and cell) Meetings in this Year of Victory?

Approaching with Faith means

1) I come expecting God to meet my needs

"I do not play hide and seek" - some pull a long face and try to get people to notice that they have a need at G12 meetings. When people do not perform up to what they expect, they blame others for being insensitive. That's NOT faith! That's expecting to be rejected, and expecting others to be omniscient!

"I come to share my needs" - because I believe that God WILL meet my need. Those who suppress their real need ("It's ok - my need is not important") actually display signs of rejection, because they feel that they do not dare "impose upon others" lest their real needs are trivialised. So "in case it happens, I better keep it to myself until it is really big".

2) I come expecting for God to use me to meet others' needs

PR 11:25 A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."

God can do all things, but he fully intends to use YOU to do it (else we would all be in heaven so that all our needs can be fully met now). So step out and reach out to your brother and sister. Your spiritual father/mother is not God, nor is he/she omnipotent and omnipresent.

Go for YOUR refreshing!

The Year of Victory means Battle

Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over
but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon.

In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Ephesians 6:13-18 (The Message)

The Battle

Had you had times when you cried yourselves to sleep? i had.

Had you ever felt like giving up on everything and just SLEEP? Yes too.

Paul Moldenhauer's article was a good reminder. She said "I was in a battle ... the enemy was attacking.

I suddenly understood that I wasn’t battling the people who’d injured my heart, I was battling the demons the enemy sent to oppose me.

Ephesians says that we don’t battle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers—the powers of the dark world and the spiritual forces of evil. Before I recognized the battle, I took the hits, thinking I somehow deserved such outrageous treatment.

But after I realized I was in a war, I sought God’s help to stay on my feet and fight and over time I gained the victory.

Today is about recognizing that there is a battle and we can’t fight on our own. Some of us want to ignore this possibility. We want to pretend there isn’t a battle. It feels safer.

BUT the Lord says the enemy is like a roaring lion, seeking all he can devour. He doesn’t tell us to ignore the enemy, but to resist him so he will flee. (I Peter 5:8) It’s time to wake up and take our place beside our brothers and sisters who are weary from the battle, standing in strengthening solidarity.

Others of us have forgotten about the war. We’ve chosen to be angry with people and have been battling them instead of recognizing the evil one’s sinister work. If this is your situation, Ephesians 6:12 is an important reminder. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:10-12 (NIV)

Drink in its truth, then, in forgiveness and the power of the Lord, stand against the appropriate foe.

Some of you know full well you’re in a war. You’re knee deep in the muck of trenches and hear the artillery all around you. Maybe you’re even bleeding.

My friend, our Lord is your Deliver, Your Strong Tower, Your Place of Refuge. The words of Ephesians 6:10 are for you. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.” (NIV)

Mighty and Powerful God, You know the situation each of your children faces today. You know the severity of our personal battle in the war against the evil one.You know how prepared or unprepared we are to meet our foe. Come in Your might power and infinite love for us and show us what You want usto do. You are the Commander and Chief. You are also the Victorious King. Show us how to live in a world where war of the soul is waged every single day. Give strength to the weary, insight to the confused, and courage to all of us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen"

Sermon 11mar: Living Right with the Breastplate of Righteousness

To hear/view sermon online, please go to FCBC Sermons Online.

10 Mar 2007
'Know God's Standard! - Living Right with the Breastplate of Righteousness'
Key Verses: Ephesians 6:14

Ephesians 5:8-9 'For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth).'

How to live as Children of Light -> ***Ephesians 4:17-5:17

Ephesians 4:21-24 'You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.'

1. Put off the Old Man/Self!
a. Ephesians 4:17-19 'So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.'

b. After Jesus resurrected Lazarus from the dead, Jesus said (John 11:44) "Take off the grave clothes (symbolises old life) and let him (the old self) go!"

Colossians 3:8 and James 1:21 use the words "Rid yourself of..." & "Get rid of"!

2. Be Renewed in the Mind
- God does not just want to change our ways, but the attitude of our minds.

- It is a Passive Process, meaning it requires us to be willing.

Romans 12:2 'Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.'

3. Put on the New Self
- Live like the Lord will live.

- Romans 13:12-14 'Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.'

- Living a holy life is more than not sinning. Being righteous means

>stopping the sin

>and working with our all to do what God wants us to do for others.

Sermon 25feb: Know Your Enemy & SIT-WALK-STAND!

For those of you who missed it, please go to FCBC Sermons Online to hear/view it. I forked out time yesterday for it, and was thankful that Ps Khong painted a clearer picture of our enemy for me, and prepared me to put on every piece of my Armor in the coming weeks.

Some of my key learning points (which i think it's important for you to know & be prepared, soldiers!) from
'Know Your Enemy - Living Bold in Spiritual Battle'
Key Verses: Ephesians 6:10-13

1. Three Truths about satan
a. Satan is Alive.
Our greatest problems are in the Supernatural. But the devil tries to deceive us that our problem is in the natural, while he deals with us in the supernatural. Really crafty.

b. Satan is Active.
He is actively looking for opportunities to attack/destroy us and rob us of God's blessing for our lives. Sometimes he does this by giving us the GOOD things to distract us from the BEST. Ephesians 5:15-16 tells us that our days are filled with the evil plots of the devil.

c. Satan is Able and Powerful. (He is no pussycat)
1 Peter 5:8 he 'prowls around like a roaring lion'.
If the devil cannot lead us to destruction, the Bible will not warn us.

How powerful?
> he is not omnipotent (all-powerful); only God is.
BUT he is more powerful than us because he moves in the spiritual realm.

> he is not omniscient (knows everything); only God is.
BUT he knows more than us; he's been around since Adam was created!
We cannot rely on our understanding and wisdom to fight him.

> he is not omnipresent (exists everywhere concurrently); only God is.
BUT he has many different little demons to be all over the place, reporting to him about us.
And he still has more freedom than us, because he moves in the spiritual realm.

2. Thus, in order to overcome the devil, we need the spiritual means
- Actively put on EVERY piece of the Armor of God.
-Not one piece can be missing!

Firstly we must
a. SIT tight - Rest in Christ's victory, know our position in Christ (We are seated with Christ in heaven - Ephesians 2:1-6)

b. WALK Right
Ephesians 4:25-32 When we walk right, the devil has no opportunity.
- Every sin is an open invitation to the devil. And he will come.
- Whereas A righteous man/woman is a powerful weapon.

We can Sit tight and Walk right, but the devil will still attack us. That's his calling. Heh. Therefore,

c. STAND and Fight him. RESIST the devil and he will flee from us.
We are covered by the blood of Jesus.
If we do not walk in devious ways, we can resist him and stand against every accusation and opposition from him, and tell him to go.

[Full sermon online]

Everything in God's purpose

As i came back home it was the usual
go where?
why so late?

I was with my usual answer church la..

I have always questioned myself(and God) why? Why am i born to the parents i have now? Why born me with this two *ahem* irritating parents?

I know deep down its their way of showing concern for me but i just couldn't stop grumbling. Then God spoke to me.

If you are not with them, who shall be the one to show them the way to me? Who shall be the one to show them the light and guide them to me?

God was actually using me, me as a daughter to bring my parents to the light, to him. Of course my intial reaction was like no la, not possible right where got sense. Daughter show parents? Thought should be the other way round?

Then slowly the truth began to work in me. God placed me in this family, this school, this class for a specfic reason. Its is not like express class no more space put you in NA class ar... NO i am there for a reason.

Do i know the reason? No la i am not God what how i know.

But STOP grumbling. Ask God what to do in everything and obey. And God help us to obey you even when its so hard to. Indeed you will never put us through things that we cannot handle. And God help us to be reminded daily that you gave us your shield of victory and that your right hand will sustains us (psalms 18:35).

(=

Psalm 13 | Gratefulness keeps our hearts close to God

1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

and every day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Sounds familiar?

Said similar things like above to God before? When lamenting?

Ever felt like the Lord has forsaken you?

3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"

and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

Didn't God promise us in Deuternomoy 31:8 that He will never leave nor forsake us?

Very true. And David (who wrote Psalms) trusted in God's heart completely. He did not stop calling upon the Lord, while recognising that it is the our enemy, Satan, who caused us to be forlorn and sorrowful, not God.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD,

for he has been good to me.

The 2 reasons for why David could stand firm on Christ and praise and trust God, even in such great anguish and deep sorrow:

1. He rejoiced in his salvation. (v.5b)
David bore in mind that Jesus has won the greatest victory in his life - saving him from death to eternal life. Our salvation is the greatest and only eternal assurance anyone can have! And that alone should give us eternal joy and hope.

2. He remembered God's goodness and faithfulness since he knew Him. (v.6b)
"For He HAS been good to me." Always grateful.

Always give thanks, always be grateful. Remember His mercy, kindness and goodness as you jot down the little and big things He has done for us.


Our GRATITUDE determines our MAGNITUDE!

What exactly is the Armor of God?

As mentioned, it is important for a soldier to recognise and be familiar with her own weapons and equipment. As i continued to look into the Armor of God, here is a chart which is useful to help us sharpen our armor.

(Click to zoom in)

TO DO:
1. Please do spend some time looking through (in the chart) the scriptures of Truth and power which the Armor is based on.

2. Pray through each piece. A guided outline can be:

The belt of truth: Thank You Jesus that You are the Way, the Truth and the Life. You are the only true and living God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Sovereign King of the universe, my Father who loves me, and my Shepherd who leads me. You are my wisdom, my counselor, my hope, and my strength. You are all that i need.

The breastplate of righteousness: Lord, indeed who am i that You care and died for me. I, a sinful person, do not deserve Your mercy or even to be in Your presence, but You have shown me deep Grace by taking my sins to the cross and declaring me righteous. Lord, show me any sin that I need to confess right now, so that nothing will hinder me from being filled to overflowing with Your Spirit. [Take time for confession] Thank You for forgiving me and for filling me with Your righteous life.

The sandals of peace: Thank You for the peace You give me when I trust and follow You. I will not be troubled; i will not be fearful (John 14:27). Show me how to help others find that peace.

The shield of faith: Without faith, it is impossible to please You (Hebrews 11:6). Thank You for helping me have faith in You. We will not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but be strengthened in Your faith and give glory to You, being fully persuaded that You have power to do what You have promised (Romans 4:20-21).

The helmet of salvation: Thank You for promising me salvation both for today's battles and for all eternity. LORD, You have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure (Psalm 16:5).

The sword of the spirit, the Word of God: Thank You for the scriptures you have deposited in my heart. Please show me which one(s) You want me to use to cut through deceptions and gain Your victory in any battle I may face today.


3. Answer the question i posted in the previous post: Which of this areas do you think you have not regularly and confidently sharpened? Work on it/them!

(Reference from http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/armorofgod.html)

Soldiers of the Cross... Full Armor gear up!

The Full Armor!

(And you thought that architectural students could draw all the time =p)

If there is no battle, there is no victory. We as daughters of God, warriors of Light, and soldiers of the Cross, need our full armor to engage in the battle - spiritual warfare!

Ephesians 6:12-13 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Get your Full Armor ready! (Read Ephesians 6:10-20)

* * *

Reflection

Please answer: Item 1-6, which ones do you think are weaker (i don't think non-existent) in your life?

For me: i think the Sword of the Spirit. I remember verses only part by part, and many times forget their references.

> I want to polish my Sword by going deeper in the word of God - memorising them in my heart, so that they correct and align my thoughts and intentions sharply according to God's will for my life.

> This also helps me rebuke the devil in times of temptation and weakness. (Check out how Jesus rebuked Satan with the Word of God many times when He was tempted in the desert in Matthew 4:2-11)

> This leads me to guide and correct others not basing on my own standards and wisdom, but only God's.

Trying to make some noise?

Hello Dearest,

I'm so not a blog nor email or a write something person. But I'll try hahahaa to pin down some stuffs. Hmm and still figuring out abt blog.

I'm still in NUS lab, mugging away for my exams. Time now is 11pm. Tomo, Thurs 11-01, I'm having a practical test and final theory paper next thurs, 18-01. Yesterday I just had an mcq paper. Pretty stress for this paper actually, seeking a lot of peace from God.

I wonder if my stress comes from proving to my mum that even though I spend a lot of my time in church (which she feels greatly so) I can still get great results. I didn't do as well as I usually did for my last module and she blamed it on going for tooooo much church activities. Even asked me "why u still wanna go church on sun ah?" During such times theres always temptations also to not go church lah, BUT, I started out doing life science cos of God. Felt God has something for me to do in this industry. So if i don't go church, i might as well drop my course and go back to my engineer life. Thank God for always reminding me He's there He's there, He's everywhere! And He's here with me in my lab where I'm all alone and cold and can be pretty scary hahahaha.

As long as I work hard for my exams, I know God will do the rest! Good or bad results.. Well, God always has a purpose for everything, which always ends up good for us anyway. So I need to go back to working hard! Wooosh!

Felt better after pinning down my tots and surrendering this to God.

I want to be an Oak Tree

In accordance to my previous post on my personal blog (why i want to be a tree), i had listened to Ps Khong's latest audio recording of his thoughts on his blog.

And i found out what tree i want to be.

Why an oak tree:

1. It takes a long time to grow but it is a strong tree that can stand alone. Its roots grow deep.

2. This does not mean that that i do not work together with the body of Christ, but that i do not lean on others to survive. I want to be a life that stands alone for God, and with God all the time.

3. And the desire to go deep goes accordance with Colossians 1:9-10 - Going deep in the knowledge of the God's will for my life:
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God..

The blue statement really sums up the oak tree i want to be.

And i am reminded "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7a). May this oak tree always be humbled before you, O almighty Lord of mighty love.