Sent to help a rich, successful young man Jonathan, Astrid the Angel is determined to change the world. and make Jonathan's life better. For under the facade of success in his studies and career. Jonathan faces difficulties that will challenge his priorities in life. And also bring to question the emptiness he feels in his heart. Will he truly discover The Important Things?
And will you discover them too?!
*tickets are running low.. get your tickets SOON!!!* *There are no available tickets for 8 April, 8pm show*
I'm EXCITED!!! ARE YOU!? WOOHOO!!!
have you invited your friends yet?! if not... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!?!
Since we're into illustrations, lets take a look what D.L. Moody has to say about how the Holy Spirit chooses whom to empower:
When I was out in California, the first time I went down from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and dropped into the valley of the Sacramento, I was surprised to find on one farm that everything about it was green - all the trees and flowers, everything was blooming,...and just across the hedge, everything was dried up, and there was not a green thing there. I could not understand it. I made inquiries, and I found that the man that had everything green, irrigated; he just poured the water right on, and kept everything green, while the fields that were next to his were as dry as Gideon's fleece, without a drop of dew. So it is with a great many in the church today. They are like these farms in California - a dreary desert, everything parched and desolate, and apparently no life in them. They can sit next to a man who is full of the Spirit of God, who is like a green bay tree, and who is bringing forth fruit, and yet they will not seek a similar blessing.
Well why this difference? Because God has poured water on him that was thirsty; that is the difference. One has been seeking this anointing, and he has received it; and when we want this above everything else, God will surely give it to us.
D.L.Moody, Moody's Stories: Incidents and Illustrations (Chicago: Moody,1899), 75-76.
Hey friends, I came across a website that gave interesting illustrations on Ecclesiates 12:1-8, 13. I shall review bits and pieces of it every Wedensday. Quite a long write up actually. Haha...
"REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR IN THE DAYS OF YOUR YOUTH!"
INTRO:Have you ever known someone who is always late for everything? They are always in a rush just to catch up because they are always late. At times, this kind of habit can be costly, they miss out on important things or information because of a late arrival. How much better to be on time and start early, this is precisely the idea behind this passage.
ILLUSTRATION:
Like the man who came rushing up to a lake, he arrived breathless after running full steam to get there. But the gateman shut the door in his face. He just missed the boat!
A bystander remarked to him, " I guessed you didn't run fast enough!"
The disappointed man answered, " I ran fast enough, but i didn't start on time."
TO ACCOMPLISH THE MOST FOR GOD IN A LIFETIME YOU MUST START EARLY ...“IN THE DAYS OF YOUR YOUTH” Ecc. 12:1 – SOURCE UNKNOWN
Statistically we know that the longer a person goes without accepting Christ the less likely they are to find Him ... the patterns of our life are set down in our youth. How important it is then to remember God in our youth!
Therefore, I would like to urge all youths to reach out to your friends RIGHT NOW! Reach them early before they missed the boat!
Woohoo it is that time of the month for me again. It is blog entry time. Let me share with you guys something I shared with my matchstick brothers over the most recent guy's gathering. God has been speaking to me rather miraculously over the last month and it was through all these ultimate experiences that led me to share with them about the topic of love. It all started when I heard the phrase,"faith, hope and love," spoken during one of the Sunday services (though if you ask me now I frankly would not be able to recall which one).
By the way, this phrase is taken from a verse in 1 Corinthians 13 aka the love chapter. Anyway, what struck me initially was the word ,"faith," in the phrase because, as you all know, or rather as most of the matchstick guys would know, I shared about faith during the January guy's gathering. So I thought," Wow, I could settle 3 months worth of guy's gathering sharing with these 3 topics. Furthermore, it sounds rather 'cool'." This probably would not be what we associate with very Godly reasoning.
Anyway, I shared about faith already leaving me with 2 choices, hope and love. I pondered about these 2 topics and seeked God in prayer about the matter, unlike my earlier approach. Though I believe God has been subtly answering my prayers through quiet time, which touched on Jesus death and resurrection with a greater than usual regularity, I was not wholly convinced.
Right up until last Saturday, I was still anxiously undecided. However, my quiet time that night confirmed what I ended up sharing with the guys without a shadow of a doubt. That night, God seemed to have amplified His voice during my quiet time. I remembered asking Him in my prayer, prior to reading His word, to show me whether I should share about love.
Guess what? The devotional passage was 1 Corinthians 13. That totally gripped my heart and I was and am convinced that the love of God is what God wants to gently but firmly remind us during this season.
With Good Friday just around the corner, let us ponder upon the depths of God's love for us. And if you need help with that, here's a link to a song entitled "When God Ran" by Phillips, Craig & Dean, with footages from the movie The Passion of Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
"I have identified with Christ in His death, and it is no longer i who live, but Christ that lives in me. The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
When was your last encounter with God? How did you feel? Have you changed since then?
Well, my last encounter with God was last Sunday during a fellowship session in Steven's house. A few of us that consisted of Steven, Jasmine, Wei Qiang, Andy, Eric and my cell leader Celine gathered at Steven's house actually planned to just play around with the guitars and fellowship. But God had other greater plans. Around 6.45pm as soon as Steven came back from sending Jasmine to the MRT station, Celine started playing and praying, and we just started to focus on God and started worshipping. Eric shared something that God impressed on his heart. God was saying to confess all sins, pull down strongholds in life. I broke down. Why? Because I know there are some parts of me that God has not dealt with yet and He wants to deal it with me, but I was not willing for God to deal with them. And partly was because of the disappointments.
Sometimes in life, when things gets good and high, the devil always wants to pull down that feeling and pull down whatever positive feelings and emotions that will leave us feeling down and thus draw away from God. Beginning of this week, God told me something and promised that to happen and the next day it did. My spiritual emotion, trust and faith went up by a notch.
Everything was running smoothly till Saturday when I had an enrolment service committee meeting. There were people in the committee that I cannot work with, because of the past experience I had when I worked with them before. I actually even had a quarrel with them before the meeting and so, that was not so healthy for my spirit. I was judging them. And because I felt so much bitterness because of previous events, I didn't want to forgive them. I couldn't bring myself to. In my heart, I really hated them. I cried before because of what they said to me. And I just couldn't forgive them. The meeting was long and draining, a lot of work hadn't been done, and that too wasn't very beneficial, to both my physical and spiritual body. After the meeting, I tried to rush to church, saw something, someone that didn't make me too happy. By the time I went to church, I tried to ignore and forget what had just happened and went on with my time with God's people. Came Sunday, when Pastor said there are a lot of opposition, I just had to agree.
There are times when you feel like praising God is the last thing that you can. But these are times whereby God breaks your heart and mould you. These are the times where God wants you to be strong and stronger. Every time you feel like this is the end. You are wrong; this is just the beginning of a change for the better person in you. Going to Steven's house to me was just something that I thought would be a short sharing and fellowship then I can go home. But it ended up being a 2-hours long of worship and prayer. It might sound long, but after being refreshed by the Spirit, it is really amazing how once God touched you, you can be so moved in the spirit. And when you are moved by the Spirit, you just need to leave everything to God and then you would be able to experience God daily in your life.
So have a God-led week this week! Even though the devil might want to pull you away from God, take comfort that God is with you and He will strengthen you.
As Easter Day draws nearer, Youth Fusion is also getting busier. Why?
Most of us are involved in the Easter production, featuring "The important things". I am sure Jasmine is going to polish you guys up till perfection :P That includes MORE practices!
We have to take time off school and other personal agendas to help publicize for this event. Giving out flyers to the lunch time crowd at specific schools. Easy task?
Apart from reaching out to the community as a group, we have to reach out to our own friends, which means meeting up, and following up with them on separate times.
My friends, are you guys geared to take up this challenge? Or are you already feeling the weight of this mission? If you are, make sure that you have the right focus in mind!!! If not, it's easy to fall...BEWARE...
How to stay focus?
Sier has shared last Saturday about having the right focus in mind. I guess it is relevant when it comes to serving God too.
Some questions to ponder about.
"Are we doing it for man or for God?"
"What is the significance behind all these work that we are doing?
"Is it a showcase of your talents and good works?"
" Is it about you?"
As I was doing my QT this morning, God reminded me of His marvelous love for all mankind.
Taken from ODB 21st March,
1 John 3:11-18 (New International Version)
He called us to love one another.
He called us to even lay down our lives for our brothers!
I am sure we know that we have to love one another unconditionally, even people whom we do not know. Jesus loves everyone, including the most hated tax-collecters, and the adulterous who was being looked down upon. He has came to seek and save the lost, and we are called into this mission to work alongside Him.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Scripture teaches that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). It also teaches the importance of “faith working through love” (Gal. 5:6). So the great problem we all face is how to rid ourselves of sinful self-love while sincerely loving God and neighbor (Matt. 22:37-39; 1 John 3:14). The gospel with its message of the life-transforming love of Christ provides the only answer to that problem. Paul declared in Romans 5:5, “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.” [ODB, 21st March]
Therefore, let us learn to love the lost, those who need God as much as we do. The sacrifices that we have made for the outreaches are minimal compared to what Jesus has given, his life!
Our focus thus should be on His love and our mission. Let us look upon God and fill our hearts with joy, knowing that we are serving our God and glorifying His name as we do the little things to accomplish our mission on earth. Jia you!
A group of us, which includes Celine, Violet, Jasmine, Eric, Andy, Wei Qiang and I went to my house last Sunday for a time of fellowship. It was indeed a wonderful time being able to seek God face to face. We sought the Lord for direction towards our serving in our individual's ministry and also in our walk with God. Somehow, some of us had a clearer view and focus in our spiritual life.
I can sense that the Spirit flowing in my room, so strongly that we couldn't resist and started going into deep worshipping and started praying in tongues aloud. During this time of fellowship, God spoke to me to lean on His understanding and even tear down the strongholds that Satan is trying to place in front of our path leading us to Eternity. The style of worshipping we adopted was great as we just sang as the Spirit led us to.
Though sometimes we might not know the lyrics, the Spirit just sang within us! Praying for one another is very important and that is the reason why God told us that we need to come into a time of fellowship, which includes coming to church. I truly believed that God has impacted every single one present in my house as His love was revealed so clearly to us as we prayed. I was in fact very impacted by the song ‘The Power of Your Love.
In fact, I trust in the Lord that He will turn our weaknesses into strengths and also that as we desire to draw near to God, we will soar like an eagle as the Spirit leads us on. It was a time where we experienced what it really means to be worshipping all day long when we are in Heaven. We worshipped till we forgotten that it was late and we were hungry as God has fed us with His spiritual food which quenched our thirst and filled our stomach. I am seriously looking forward to more of such gatherings next time.
Therefore, I would really want to encourage every single brothers and sisters to come together more often for a time of fellowship as it will indeed be a time whereby we can really spur each other on, which includes coming for cell. This is very vital as we will be able to grow together as we share and discuss about God's words together.
I just want to share 1 article with all of you... Although it is quite a short one, but notice how much truth it has in it..
And God Said No
I asked God to take away my pride. And God said "No". He said it was not for Him to take away, but for me to give up. I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. And God said "No". He said her spirit was whole, her body was only temporary. I asked God to grant me patience. And God said "No". He said patience is a by-product of tribulations. It isn't granted, it is earned.
I asked God to give me happiness. And God said "No". He said He gives me blessings, happiness is up to me. I asked God to spare me pain. And God said "No". He said suffering draws me apart from worldly cares and brings me closer to Him.
I asked God to make my spirit grow. And God said "No". He said I must grow on my own. But He will prune me to make me fruitful.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. And God said "No". He said He will give me life, that I may enjoy all things.
I ask God to help me love others, as much as he loves me. And God said "Ah, finally you have the idea!"
Mark 12:31 ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.
18 of us headed down to the Zoo yesterday and we had a really good time there! looking at all those animals, each is a creation of God, it's just so amazing!!!*notice our shirt?! we are all in green or brown... except.. ehhhhhhhhh.. a few.. :)
the greens! *someone says she is green.. but we dun really agree... :p*
the brownies!
and lastly the 3 of them.. :)
let's see what some of them have to say for this trip... :)
I like the Zoo alot! We should go there every year. Although we didn't go to the playground, we saw many animals. All of them were very cute but most of them were sleeping. I had a great time at the Zoo because we were all very excited to see all the animals!! (: We took alot of pictures!
The Zoo, the Zoo, the pig deer BULL The Zoo, the Zoo, the elephant baboon!
Astrid's Video Version 1
Astrid's Video Version 2
-Astrid-
It was fun.fun.FUN! being able to appreciate God’s creation is fun. I look forward for the next one.-Scarlet-
I had fun too.. manage to refresh images of the animals.. haha -Nicholas-
It’s not bad. Good timing. Fun. -LeFa-
it was good fun, nice opportunity to bond. I enjoyed myself. -Sean-
I love the white tigers and baby elephants! The trip was really nice (minus the rain n dirt), and I enjoyed the company! -Eunice Ng-
It was a really good time, we all had fun, and I hope that we will have more gatherings like this to spend time with each other! -Samantha-
Very fun... Although i was having a fever. Thanks to the cell for the concern durng the trip... The animal shows were cool! Though throughout the show i could CLEARLY hear Astrid screaming excitedly... haha Was amazed at how God created the animas with special adaptions suitable for the conditions they live in... I wanna go there again! hehe... -Elissa-
This trip was tiring but fun! -Eunice Koh-
The zoo trip was fabulous! I really enjoy the encounters with the animals. -Rachel-
This song was one of the few contemporary christian songs that made it through to secular radio stations a few years back. Quite a feat in itself. I first heard it during worship back when we were at JP GV theatre 3, lead by Matt See. Newer additions to our family probably don't know who this elusive character is. Back then, Pastor Stephen was still around and he didn't quite like this song due to its ambiguity, because it was after all written by a contemporary artist whose background and motives one can never really be sure of. Having said so, please listen to the lyrics of ~icom~ with discretion, and be ministered to by the bible verses in the video. For the more adventurous ones out there, go check out MercyMe's original rendition of this song and let your sanctified imagination take over=)
"For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life."
"For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels won't, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God's love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, or where we are - high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean - nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when He died for us."
Romans 8:38-39 (TLB)
Two commercial window washers evaluated the skyscraper office building windowswaiting to be washed. They had started early to have enough time to complete the job. With scaffolding and lifelines in place, the workers followed routine procedures before ascending, including hooking lifelines to their safety belts. After cleaning supplies were loaded, they were on their way up.
But when they reached the top, something gave way. Supplies and framework plummeted toward the streets below. Lifelines snapped taut and brought both men to an abrupt stop in midair. The helplessworkmen swayed precariously in the chilling wind.
Terrified, the men swung from the ropes for hours while rescue crews frantically worked to help them. Fortunately, if they lost their holds on their lifelines for even a spilt second, the reliable safety clamps would still hold them secure. Thanks God, both men were eventually lowered to safety.
Just as how the two men had experienced, we too may face frighthening and stressful challenges as we go out to serve God. We may have done all the right things and carefully clung close to the Lord, but something can still go wrong.
Can bad things happen even when we are obedient to God? I believe so. There is a real spiritual battle going on out there, and Satan is trying to break us any way He can. The devil is no gentleman. In 1 Peter 5:8, it describes how the evil one is like a roaring lion, searching for someone to devour.
No matter how tough things get, God promises He will never allow us to endure more than we can handle. When we become frazzled, brokenhearted, or weary and lose our grip, He is still there, firmly holding onto us.
God loves you and knows how much you love Him. He's there for you in the good times, as well as you go through the storms in your life. He's holding tightly onto you when you soar, and more so when your life is crashing down. When your strength ebbs to nothing, God's powerful, firm grip takes hold. His strength shows up best in our weaknesses. God is strong even when we are weak!
As you prepare to go about doing your routine each day, be sure and above all else, draw close to God and check out His lifeline. Then fear not! Go and serve with His peace, power and presence in your life. This week, God showed me that serving Him is not only restricted to serving in church, but it means to be a servant in our homes so that the love of God can be demonstrated in us to our families. Start being a servant right where you are placed in your home. :)
God says in Hebrews 13:5 that "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Today let us take a closer look at this verse and discover how much God desires and longs for us to be with Him. Looking at the same verse, now let's read it the reverse way and see what God wants to say to you.
This is how much God loves you when He says "youforsake, I will never; you leave, I willnever."
For the most recent testimony, I would like to thank GOD that he has given me a full cert for my O levels at last. When I got my O level results, I have scored D7 for my English. Which is quite an expected grade for it.
In my secondary school days, I do not score well for English at all. Usually it is between C6 to D7. No matter how hard I study and practice for my English, it will never be better. I lost hope of my English actually. When I get into RP, my mum has always been nagging at me to retake my English. However I was thinking "Ai ya, no need to take la. The result will still be the same". So I did not take it when I was in the first year in RP. But with the constant nagging from my mum, I decided to take the exams so that she will not nag at me. So I sign up to retake my English O level paper.
After signing up, I did nothing about it. When the exams came I just went and took the paper without studying, practice nor even revise. I was just hoping that I would not do very badly for the paper. However, when the results were out, I was in total shock and happiness. I scored a C5 for my English paper. I was like wow. I did not study for it and yet I am able to pass. I would like to thank GOD for allowing me to get through my English O level paper last year.
Violet shares on her thoughts on the song "We Are The Reason"
I always thought that the song ‘we are the reason’ was only sung on Christmas. But as I look at the lyrics and reflect on my life. I realized, no, that song was sung because sometimes we have remind ourselves the reason that we are living. Yes, we were the reason that He came down; similarly, He is the reason that we live; He is the reason that we can be going to church, He is the reason that we can have amazing encounters with God.
This week has been a hectic week. I’ve been through a lot of things and events. Refreshing ones and tiring one. Refreshing encounter with God took me to a higher level of relationship with God. Tiring events let me down at times, but I would draw strength from God because He is the one who give me all the strength I need for the day. And through all the work that we are doing, be it ministry work or just work. Sometimes as human, we complain about things, we complain about how tough it is. But we fail to look at the deeper truth which is we have a reason why we are on this earth, and the question we should constantly ask ourselves is, are we living the purpose and reason why we are on this earth? Or are we just living on our own?
And every night as I finish my work, I sit in front on my computer, listening to the song ‘we are the reason’. Refreshes me, always. Why? Because it says that we ARE the reason that he suffered and died. God sent his beloved Son to die for us. We know this for a fact, but we have missed the meaning of it. We have missed the impact of this. GOD SENT HIS SON. Think about it. Would you send your son to die for sinful people and you also know that you would not be able to save all of them and some of them would be ungrateful to you, etc. GOD STILL SENDS HIS SON. So take comfort in Him today, because HE sent his son so that we can return to HIM. After knowing this, wouldn’t you want to return to HIM? Because HE so so so loved us!
Even as we enter the mid week and things seems monotonous and long, take comfort and rest in God’s presence, spend time with him more this week. You WILL feel the change. And when you feel the change, you would then hear God speaking then you will feel refreshed, energized and ready to shine for God in the world! So be blessed this week, take heat in His word and HIS will show you HIS plans!
"In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" - Romans 8:37
Paul was speaking here of the things that might seem likely to separate a saint from the love of God. But the remarkable thing is that nothing can come between the love of God and a saint. The things Paul mentioned in this passage can and do disrupt the close fellowship of our soul with God and separate our natural life from Him. But none of them is able to come between the love of God and the soul of a saint on the spiritual level. The underlying foundation of the Christian faith is the undeserved, limitless miracle of the love of God that was exhibited on the Cross of Calvary; a love that is not earned and can never be. Paul said this is the reason that "in all these things we are more than conquerors." We are super-victors with a joy that comes from experiencing the very things which look as if they are going to overwhelm us.
Huge waves that would frighten an ordinary swimmer produce a tremendous thrill for the surfer who has ridden them. Let's apply that to our own circumstances. The things we try to avoid and fight against - tribulation, suffering, and persecution - are the very things that produce abundant joy in us. "We are more than conquerors through Him" "in all these things"; not in spite of them, but in the midst of them. A saint doesn't know the joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but because of it. Paul said, "I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation" (2 Corinthians 7:4).
The undiminished radiance, which is the result of abundant joy, is not built on anything passing, but on the love of God that nothing can change. And the experiences of life, whether they are everyday events or terrifying ones, are powerless to "separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39).
Say to those who are fearful hearted Do not be afraid The Lord your God Is strong with His mighty arms When you call on His name He will come and save
He will come and save you He will come and save you Say to the weary one YOURE GOD WILL SURELY COME He will come and save you He will come and save you
He will come and save you Lift up your eyes to HIm You will arise again He will come and save you
Say to those who are broken hearted Do not lose your faith The Lord your God Is strong with His loving arms When you call on His name He will come and save
He is our refuge in the day of trouble He is our shelter in the time of storm He is our tower in the day of sorrow Our fortress in the time of war
Have you been feeling dry in your walk with God lately? Or have you lost the vision that He has given to you. I was greatly encouraged by today's devotion from the book "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers.
AMID A CROWD OF PALTRY THINGS ". . . in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses." 2 Corinthians 6:4
It takes Almighty grace to take the next step when there is no vision and no spectator - the next step in devotion, the next step in your study, in your reading, in your kitchen; the next step in your duty, when there is no vision from God, no enthusiasm and no spectator. It takes far more of the grace of God, far more conscious drawing upon God to take that step, than it does to preach the Gospel.
Every Christian has to partake of what was the essence of the Incarnation, he must bring the thing down into flesh and blood actualities and work it out through the finger tips. We flag when there is no vision, no uplift, but just the common round, the trivial task. The thing that tells in the long run for God and for men is the steady persevering work in the unseen, and the only way to keep the life uncrushed is to live looking to God. Ask God to keep the eyes of your spirit open to the Risen Christ, and it will be impossible for drudgery to damp you. Continually get away from pettiness and paltriness of mind and thought out into the thirteenth chapter of St. John's Gospel. (John 13:1-17)
Over in Australia, it is turning autumn so it is pretty cold whereby the temperature is about 17 degrees in the morning. I just want to write this short testimony to testify that God is greatly performing wonders even over here in Australia! When I first came here to Perth, my accommodation had been screwed up. They gave me a room that was like situated on the ground floor, facing the common corridor. I couldn't even open my curtains up and allow the sunlight to enter the room cause if I do so, people will be able to see the whole of my room in a glance. Therefore, my room was dark and stuffy and I was very depressed about the whole situation. Thoughts such as "why am I so unlucky to get this kind of room?" bombarded me throughout.
I became depressed and began to think of ways and means to get out of that room. I went to speak to the principal and he told me that he will see if it is possible for him to change the room for me. I was very grateful but in my heart, I was still very worried about whether my room will be changed in the end. I went online and I spoke to my parents and also some of my friends about what I was going through. But apparently, the management told me that it was very difficult for them to change the room immediately. I was told that I would have to wait to see if there is anybody who is willing to change their room with me. On hearing this, I could really feel my whole heart sink to the ground. I prayed and cried out to God with anxiety, and all I found myself crying out was "God Help Me, Please".
Later in the day, while I was online chatting with my parents, my mum told me that that day in church, the whole sermon was about patience and not to be anxious about anything. She told me that God was telling me that He will make a way for me and that He had the best plans for me. Hearing this, I felt much better. But, the peace did not last really long; the worries began to overcome me again.
Then something happened. One day while at lunch, there was this residential advisor who was sitting at my table and was chatting away with us. He told one of the girls that there was somebody who was opting to shift out of the Hall. Immediately, upon hearing this, I went to find the room and saw that that room was much better than mine. I went and told my parents about it and they told me to check it out with the principle who is handling my case. I went to search for the principal who was handling my case but in vain. I had to head down for my orientation. So my parents told me that they will tell the principal if they saw him.
Then something coincidence happened. My dad was coming out of the toilet in my Hall and he was telling my mum that if he sees the principal, he will speak to him, but if not, then I will speak to the principal myself instead. As he was talking about this, the principal was just walking behind him. My dad had a brief chat with him. When my dad told him about the room, he was shocked because he didn't know about the girl moving out of the Hall. He told my dad that he will check it out and get back to us asap.
I was very delighted and waited anxiously for the news. But the news came back differently. I was told that there was another room available and if I would like to have it. I immediately took the key and ran up to check out the room. The room was super cool. The room was very bright and I could open my curtains without fearing anyone will be able to look inside my room. I was extremely delighted and immediately took the room. I shifted my things into my new room. Really want to praise the Lord. Indeed, He will make a way where there seems to be no way, He works in ways we cannot see and He has made a way for me!
Forgive and forget, that's what a lot of people will say. But what hit me that I probably will never forget it was what my secondary school chaplain shared with us before. He said, one person could never forget what happened, unless you have some brain problem that makes you forget things. But besides that, it is very hard for you to completely forget what happened between you and another person, and is even hard when you have to face that person often. So what do we do at this point? He changed the phrase to, forgive and CHOOSE not to remember. Choices. Like what Si Er shared with us few weeks ago. Choosing to do this or not. Similarly, choosing to remember and bear that grudge and to be hurt or not.
You might think that you are not bearing any grudges, hurts or pains, but the devil likes to use all these to distract us. He puts in little thoughts and doubts, little by little, one by one, until we gradually get affected by it if we do not stand strong enough in God's truth. Like me, I was attacked by the devil and he brought in my childhood pains and hurts to just rub a little salt on the wound. But thanks for brother and sister in Christ, who prayed for me, I went through it and am indeed being refreshed by His Spirit. These kinds of hurts will not heal over night, but it might even stay for a long time. But God's love, God's mercy, God's goodness and God's grace is new every morning, renewal of the Spirit is a daily thing. It is not a one off thing whereby once would solve the whole problem, but this is a daily process. And these processes cause you to realize the greatness of God's love and experience His love.
Once I read in 'Our Daily Bread', a pastor said "the idea that God forgets my sins isn't very reassuring to me. After all, what if He suddenly remembered? In any case, only imperfection can forget, and God is perfect." So what does God do? God didn't say that He'll forget out sins - He says He'll remember them no more! His promise not to remember them ever again is stronger than saying He'll forget them. Now isn't this more reassuring? For it says in Hebrews 8:12 "their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more". God actually promised to forgive us and never bring up our sins again!
Similarly when we forgive people, we have to choose not to remember them, rather than saying that you will forget them. And this does not happen overnight, it might not even happen over the week, it might take a long time, for me, I took about 3 years and sometimes I will still find it hard. What should we do then? We should renew and strengthen ourselves in the Lord every day, praying that He will help us, because it is not by our strength that we can do this, but by every strength of God.
Another point that God dropped into my heart to share is to keep praying. There was this phrase in my QT devotion that impacted me, which was God may deny our request but He will NEVER disappoint our trust. Faith is not demanding what we want; it is trusting God's goodness in spite of life's tragedies. If it doesn't happen after you pray, do not stop praying, continue praying. In Luke 11: 10 "Everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened".
I question not God's means or ways Or how He uses time or days, To answer every call or prayer I know He will, somehow, somewhere. – Whitney
Whatever you are praying for, do not lose hope, because God hears it and He will answer it when the time is right and perfect because God is a perfect God! God bless!
18 of us headed down to the Zoo yesterday and we had a really good time there! looking at all those animals, each is a creation of God, it's just so amazing!!!
