Fear? (23/04/06)

I was praying through a few questions/items throughout last few days, asking God to show me His way and direction, whether or not I should do these or not. The things that had been in my mind for the past few days were about whether or not I should take up the challenge to work part-time (without pay), which will require me to apply for the working visa (which will cost about $55 or $60), and whether or not I should get a flu vaccine this season (around $20), to prevent flu during the winter.

I didn’t get any clear answer from the Lord until today, when I spoke and consulted my aunt about these items that had been playing in my mind. Through the chatting on the MSN with her, I got quite clear answers about them. I truly thank the Lord that He spoke through my aunt. These answers that I received were supported by God’s Words (logos).

I decided not to get flu vaccine because my body is the holy temple of the Lord Jesus Christ and I trust that He will guide me and protect me from such harm. I needed to trust in the Lord and claim all His promises He has in store for me from His words. Trust and Faith are the key point. Well, that would save me some money too. PTL!

I decided to take the step of faith in applying for the working visa and the work, after thinking through again, that I would be able to gain experience through the $60 I pay for the working visa. I also have some extra time that I can use to gain experiences from the pharmacy.

These decisions came mainly from man’s perspective and view.
The amazing thing was that after the chatting, I laid down for a short evening nap and the Lord spoke (rhema) to me into my mind, as I closed my eyes for the nap and I felt the Lord’s peace rested upon my heart in the decisions that was made. He even spoke two verses to confirm the decisions.

Proverbs 23:23 (my devotion today)
Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding.

Another verse was from somewhere in the Old Testament when the Priest would normally said, “Go! The Lord has granted you success.” (something like that)

The Lord clearly revealed to me that I should go on with the decision to apply for the working visa and for the part-time voluntary work. He showed me through this proverb that I should invest to gain and acquire wisdom, knowledge and understanding. The second verse that was revealed further confirmed such decision.

Another thing that the Lord revealed to me about getting flu vaccine was FEAR. Many of the times, we are attacked by fear. Fear is a weapon of the enemy and we need to guard our heart from such fear of illnesses. That was what gripped my heart that led me to consider getting flu vaccine. However God has conquered fear and illness for us and we shall not let it grip hold of us.

I truly thank the Lord for revealing such truths to me that I could live in freedom and walk in faith. Hallelujah!

Fear? (23/04/06)

I was praying through a few questions/items throughout last few days, asking God to show me His way and direction, whether or not I should do these or not. The things that had been in my mind for the past few days were about whether or not I should take up the challenge to work part-time (without pay), which will require me to apply for the working visa (which will cost about $55 or $60), and whether or not I should get a flu vaccine this season (around $20), to prevent flu during the winter.

I didn’t get any clear answer from the Lord until today, when I spoke and consulted my aunt about these items that had been playing in my mind. Through the chatting on the MSN with her, I got quite clear answers about them. I truly thank the Lord that He spoke through my aunt. These answers that I received were supported by God’s Words (logos).

I decided not to get flu vaccine because my body is the holy temple of the Lord Jesus Christ and I trust that He will guide me and protect me from such harm. I needed to trust in the Lord and claim all His promises He has in store for me from His words. Trust and Faith are the key point. Well, that would save me some money too. PTL!

I decided to take the step of faith in applying for the working visa and the work, after thinking through again, that I would be able to gain experience through the $60 I pay for the working visa. I also have some extra time that I can use to gain experiences from the pharmacy.

These decisions came mainly from man’s perspective and view.
The amazing thing was that after the chatting, I laid down for a short evening nap and the Lord spoke (rhema) to me into my mind, as I closed my eyes for the nap and I felt the Lord’s peace rested upon my heart in the decisions that was made. He even spoke two verses to confirm the decisions.

Proverbs 23:23 (my devotion today)
Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding.

Another verse was from somewhere in the Old Testament when the Priest would normally said, “Go! The Lord has granted you success.” (something like that)

The Lord clearly revealed to me that I should go on with the decision to apply for the working visa and for the part-time voluntary work. He showed me through this proverb that I should invest to gain and acquire wisdom, knowledge and understanding. The second verse that was revealed further confirmed such decision.

Another thing that the Lord revealed to me about getting flu vaccine was FEAR. Many of the times, we are attacked by fear. Fear is a weapon of the enemy and we need to guard our heart from such fear of illnesses. That was what gripped my heart that led me to consider getting flu vaccine. However God has conquered fear and illness for us and we shall not let it grip hold of us.

I truly thank the Lord for revealing such truths to me that I could live in freedom and walk in faith. Hallelujah!

It Doesn't Belong to Me (23/4/06)

I found $5 note when I went out to catch the bus two days ago. Well, I thank God that He has trained me up not to keep them, when I found any $ last time, for they don't belong to me. So I put the note into the offering basket this morning in the church without hesitation.
I also thank the Lord for blessing me with a multitrip non-peak bus ticket on that same day, when I found one when I left the uni-gym on the same day. I returned to the counter, but he asked me to keep it, as no one will come back to claim it back. Well, I thank the Lord for this blessing, as my current black bus ticket is finishing too. This ticket saved me a few bucks on buying a new one. Praise the Lord! Hehehehe.......

Unnecessary Worry (16/4/06)

Before I slept last night, I was a bit worried about my transport to go for the 9am Easter Sunday Service in the main Paradise Church. As I was involved in the choir singing in the service, I was supposed to be in the church for rehearsal before 8.10 am. I've already messaged my friend to ask for a ride to church for this morning (as I always did). However, I got a bit panicked and worried when I still haven't received a reply from her. There was no answer even though I've called her mobile. Then all sort of thoughts and intimidation came into my mind. I tried calling and contacting all my other friends for transport help, but I didn't manage to get through to anyone....... not even one. At last, when I gave up the hope and asked God for help, there was a small still voice/whisper (rhema) in my heart, telling me not to worry and to trust in the Lord, who provides. With that voice, I put down my phone I put my faith and hope in Him. Somehow, my heart still felt insecure and I even made an alternative plan of catching the bus early in the morning to the church. But the only problem about catching a bus was, I didn't have the timetable and I don't know what time does the bus starts operating on Sunday and public holiday. I even attempted to just give it a try for the bus, IF I still didn't get any reply from my friend when I wake up this morning.
I even heard another voice (Rhema) in my heart, asking me to just turn off my mobile and trust in the Lord, before I sleep. With faith, that He will answer and provide, I turned it off, as I let it charged through the night.

As I laid down to sleep at night (last night, on 15/4/06 night), after my prayer and a conversation with the Lord (I also presented this request to the Lord in this prayer. I also claimed the promises of the Lord, from His Words (logos)), my mind was still filled with such worries and insecurity, and I asked the Lord to grant me peace within me. A few minutes after I closed my eyes, trying to sleep, I heard another whisper (rhema) in my mind - Unnecessary worries - and with that voice, I felt like the Lord just came over and swept through and off those worries and burdens I had in my mind and I can feel such freedom and peace within me. With that, I had a good rest that night.
I learned today, both from experience and from the book, The Fourth Dimension, of the need for us to operate our lives with rhema.

Well, I was a bit too excited for today, that I woke up in the middle of the night, thinking that it was time for me to wake up. I brushed my teeth and had a shower, just to find that it was only 12am when I was getting to change. Realising that, I went to bed again.

When I woke up this morning, after my shower and change, I turned on the mobile. Praise the Lord! Finally, I got a reply from my friend that she will pick me up at the same time. Now I understood the words, "Unnecessary worries" that the Lord has spoke into my mind last night. I praised the Lord and my heart was filled with joy, as I did my morning devotion.
I sang in the choir in both, the 9am and 11am services. After that I joined my aunt and cousin for lunch and visited my aunt's new place. I wanted to join the choir at the evening interactive church, but somehow I felt God had another assignment for me that evening.

I obeyed the Lord and didn't sing in the choir, but I brought and accompanied my aunt's friend's son, Kien, to the Interactive Church. He is a non-believer and this is a good opportunity to bring him to church. The evening with David Evans, the best voice singer in Australia, was really great, as he evangelised forth God's Love to the non-believers, all throughout his songs. Wow! That was truly a great ministry. Throughout the service, I whispered my prayer to the Lord, that He would speak forth His love to Kien and enables him to encounter His love and touch. I also believed and claimed that the Lord is doing great things in his heart at the moment. When David called for the altar call, for those who wants to accept the Lord, I asked Kien if he's ready, but he said no. However, I thanked the Lord and believed that the Lord has sowed forth His seeds into his heart and He will cause them to grow and bear fruits at His timing. After the service, I brought Kien to the guest lounge and he spoke to Wilson. I was amazed at how Wilson was able to connect to him so easily and he was able to answer those complex questions that Kien had. I truly believed that God had already arranged Wilson to speak to him, as the Lord made him available when I brought Kien to the guest lounge. As we left the church, I asked Kien how he enjoyed attending the church and I got positive responses from him, saying that he didn't know church was this fun, this friendly, and he also agreed that David was a good singer, with great voice. He also seemed interested in further event and will join us more often.
I truly praise the Lord for giving me such an opportunity to bring a friend (actually a new friend to me too) to the church. PTL!
I'm looking forward for God to work mightily in people's lives, and in and through my lives.
Thank You, Lord!

The Secret to Looking Younger and Better (14/04/06)

The Lord revealed this truth and secret into my heart as I continued my reading of the book by Joyce Meyer, How to Hear from God. The passage below was taken from the book;

The power of God can make us look better and keep us feeling younger, because we are not living the hard life of sin... The world that we live in is full of gross darkness (see Isaiah 9:2). But God gave Jesus “for a light to the nations” (see Isaiah 42:6). His light is visible in the faces of true believers.

This was the passage that caught my attention. As I read through once more, the Lord led me to think about the comment that my mom mentioned years before, when she had not receive the Lord into her lives. She told me that she can see difference in the look of one of my aunt, who is a Christian. She wondered what the secret was. She even mentioned to me that she always looks young and happy (joyful). Those statements brought my attention to this passage.

As I highlighted this passage on my book, the Lord led me to story of Moses in the book of Exodus 34:29-35. Moses’ face was radiant after he had spent time with the Lord (for 40 days and 40 nights).

My dictionary explained that radiant means someone who looks extremely happy and very bright. Whereas, the word extremely happy means overjoyed and joyful, and bright means full of strong shining light, or/and happy and lively (cheerful).

In addition to that, under the same Bible passage, it says in the Study Bible;

Moses’ face was radiant after he spent time with God. The people could clearly see God’s presence in him. How often do you spend time alone with God? Although your face may not light up the room, time spent in prayer, reading the Bible, and meditating should have such an effect on your life that people will know you have been with God.

Wow! Isn’t that great secret to looking good?

Have you been spending time with the Lord?
Have you received Jesus into your lives?
He is waiting and knocking at the door of your heart,
Invite Him into your lives and spend time with the Lord daily!

New Language of Positive Words (12/4/06)

I was reading this new book, presented by my sister - The Fourth Dimension, by Dr. David Yonggi Cho - when I came across this passage in the book, which spoke greatly into my heart;

Where can we learn this new language (language of positive words)? From the best language book of all, the Bible. Read the Bible From Genesis to Revelation. Acquire the Bible's language, speak the word of faith, and feed your nervous system with a vocabulary of constructive, progressive, productive and victorious words. Speak those words; keep repeating them, you will become victorious, for you will be completely conditioned to meet your environment and circumstances, and achieve successs. This is the most important reason to use the spoken word: to create the power to have a successful personal life.

As I read through this, the Lord showed me how He has worked within my lives and an example of how I have spoken the situation into my lives.

Walking to the university early in the morning has been one of my favourite time. Instead of boarding the freebus which sends me straight outside my uni, sometimes I walked to uni when the weather is good. In the journey to uni, I will normally use such opportunity to pray and to sing songs of praise to the Lord. One of my favourite songs that I always sing is "Psalm 23" by Patrick Leong (a Malaysian singer). I see this as a way of memorising the chapter through songs, and at the same time, praising the Lord with the song, and also speaking such authoritative (or positive and encouraging) words into my lives. Through such a walk, I can sensed that the Lord walked with me and gave me strength and joy for the day. It was truly a refreshing and valuable time with the Lord. I not only felt rejuvenated after such a walk, I also felt so much joy and alert, to keep me awake through my day and through the lectures (students will probably understand what I mean to be alert during lectures).

This was what the Lord has thought me through the reading of such passage. I truly praise the Lord for showing such secret and understanding.

Have you had a walk with the Lord today?

Gideon's Requests for Signs (11/04/06)

God spoke to me this morning as I was doing my devotion. I realised these days, God speaks to me through the Old Testament, compared to the New Testament last time (years ago).
I was reading about Gideon in the book of Judges today when He directed my mind to the story of Gideon in chapter 6, verses 36 to 40 (the main empahsis - do read the whole chapter to understand the full story). He tested the Lord twice and asked for signs, confirming His calling of his live, even after he had witnessed the miraculous fire from the rock that consumed the offering he had placed on the rock in verses 20 to 22.

The explanatory notes of The Life Application Study Bible says that; "It is true that to make good decisions, we need facts, but still he (Gideon) hesitated. He delayed obeying God because he wanted even more proof.
Demanding extra signs was an indication of unbelief. Fear often makes us wait for more confirmation when we should be taking action. Visible signs are unnecessary if they only confirm what we already know is true."

These notes and verses spoke into my heart greatly because after I've made up my mind of sponsoring/blessing my friend with an opportunity to attend a church conference a few days ago, I was shaken again by the decision (unsure if this is what God wants me to do) and I asked the Lord for more signs or words from Him to confirm of such action. I waited for quite a few day, maybe a week, until God spoke to me today through these passages.
I repented and asked the Lord to forgive me, when I read "Demanding extra signs was an indication of unbelief". I truly believe by now that this is the right thing to do.
I would also honestly share that I refused to believe this was the right thing to do at the first place because I used a lot of my own reasonings and mind to get an excuse not to do that, although the Lord has shown me (and I believed too) that He has a great reward awaiting for me after I've acted in obedience.
Now that the Lord has truly confirmed and spoken, I am very determined with the action and I should act by faith to obey Him.
I thank the Lord for answering my prayer and for showing me His way, so that I could repent. PTL for His goodness and His faithfulness.

Are you obeying His words today?

If you want to have more of God's guidance, don't ask for signs; study the Bible. (also taken from the notes of the same passages above)

Just Right On TIme (7/4/06)

My allowance that I was given for the last month was going dry and I was getting worried. I attempted to call back again to remind my dad to send money to me for this new month. I've informed my mom about that a few days ago. But there's no news so far. But God gave me a sense of peace within my heart that He will provide at the right time. I put my trust in the Lord and didn't call home.
I got a confirmation from my sister that the money was being passed to my uncle, who will be passing it to me when he comes over. That gave me a little bit of relief.
As I put my faith and trust in my Provider, He spoke to me yesterday, as I was doing some shopping for food that today was the day He would answer my prayer.
Having put that in my heart, I got a call from my uncle in the evening and he'll pass me the stuff today. My heart overflowed with joy and thanksgiving as He answered my prayer and I was provided this day. God is truly great and mighty. He always acts on time (or should I say, at His timing). PTL!

Are you in need of anything? Have you prayed and ask God to provide?
Trust in Him and He will be on time!

Answered Prayers (5/4/06)

I was very excited for today....... Wednesday. I went to uni for gym early in the morning, hoping to be home earlier to start my study. However, I ended up helping up my landlord in fixing and replacing the gas stove in the evening. I thank God for the new stove, with the new oven. Well, I was also glad to be a help to my landlord too.

I wanted to do my study earlier today so that I could go to Powergen at night. I was very well-prepared for the Powergen at about 6pm, but I got a call from my friend saying that he will not be able to make it for the night, as he will be late and busy that night. At first, hope dashed within my heart of going to the meeting. (I'm being honest here. Not trying to blame or make anyone feel guilty. Please do understand. Hehe.....) However, God put the hope back into my heart at giving me an alternative of going to the meeting. I made a short whisper of prayer to the Lord, "Lord, if it's Your will for me to go to Powergen, may You grant me with the transport to go to the meeting." Then the thought of my good friend, Andrew, came into my mind. Without haste, I called him on the mobile and was surprised and yet excited to know that he was around my street and was on his way to the meeting. The Lord blessed me and confirmed my prayer through a brother like Andrew, as he agreed to drop by my place to pick me up to the meeting.

I went to the meeting with an open heart, for Him to move and speak into my heart. No doubt, I had an encounter with God during the worship and the sermon again that night. During the altar call, after the sermon, Ps. Rowley opened up the front for those who wants God to show them their God-given/breathed dream/s. I thought for a while and thought I needed a clearer picture from the Lord of what He had planned for me in the future.
As I went out to the front and I lifted my hands to the heaven, with my eyes closed, and I had a quiet conversation in my heart with the Lord, I waited for a leader to pray for me. After my conversation with the Lord and some time of waiting, I peeped through my eyes to see who was coming over to pray for me. Then I noticed brother Wilson, slipping through the crowd and heading towards me. As I kept my eyes closed and focused on praising the Lord, I was surprised with the touch of a hand on my shoulder. From the voice from my back, I recognised it was Wilson's. As I kept raising my hands to the Lord, the Lord placed a word into Wilson's heart and He answered my prayer through him.
This also reminded me of the book I am currently reading - How to Hear from God, by Joyce Meyer - that she said that God also speaks through other people. Well, it's been long since I had such an experience, that God spoke and answered my prayer through others. But I'm glad to have this encounter again tonight.

Wilson spoke the following words to me; (not a real quotation)
Keep trusting the Lord and He will lead and guide you through each day and my future.
The Lord sees everything that you did in the secret/hidden place everyday - your praise to the Lord, devotion and prayer - and God is pleased with such a close relationship that was built with Him. Keep being faithful in seeking the Lord everyday in prayer, praise and devotion and Proverbs 3:5 and 6 says not to lean on your own understanding, but to trust in the Lord with all your heart, & in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight (and will lead you through each day).

Wow! It was truly awesome and I believe that God has spoken to me and answered my prayer.
At the same time when I was at the front during the altar call, I got an answer and a confirmation of another of my prayer that I have been asking the Lord to confirm for the past few weeks. He put a burden in my heart to help my friend up in coming for the Influencers' Conference. I was not so sure about this and keep seeking the Lord about this matter. But God confirmed me about this. I know there is a sacrifice that comes with this calling, but I truly believe that God has a far greater rewards for me in heaven and in my future.

PTL for His goodness and His love and faithfulness. His love endures forever!
Hallelujah!