God's Hand in Yours

"Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand." (Psalm73:23)

The Lord holds me by my right hand. What words of truth, I am a testimony of that. Last year in June, we had an SP outing in Pulau Ubin. During the course of the outing, we were divided into groups and were tasked to complete activities around most of the island. And my group went along pretty quickly to our first station. In this first station, we were instructed to open a coconut using whatever materials we could find on the ground (ie. sticks and stones etc.). However, one of my teammate had carried a swiss army knife along with him, and so we decided to use it. I had the honour of the first attempt. During the process of trying to open the coconut, I accidentally cut the forefinger on my left hand. I'm a right hander, so naturally the knife was in my right hand. The blade had cut the skin, then went underneath the skin and came out on the other side of my finger, forming a 'V' shape cut on my finger. It probably sounds worse here, I'll show you a picture.



The accident has now left a permanent scar on my finger. But as I look upon the scar now, I am reminded not of how unfortunate I was to have that accident, but I am reminded of how God has been faithful, of how He was faithful even when the accident occurred. Psalm73:23 reminds us that God is always holding us by our right hand, He'll never let us go. That moment of the accident, the knife was in my right hand. And even as the blade went through my finger, God was still holding on to my right hand. He didn't let the blade leave too deep a cut. When I went to see the doctor, he told me that just 0.2cm deeper and there would have been implications. Now that is no joke. 0.2cm. God was holding my right hand as I was holding on to that knife. And now even as I look at the scar, I am always reminded of how God remained faithful, and I testify of His protection.

In this society, the numbers of youths hurting themselves either by slashing themselves or by consuming drugs or alcohol or cigarettes whatsoever, and if you are one of these, and you are wondering if there is even one glimpse of hope in this world, my answer to you is an emphatic yes. Whenever you held the blade to slash your wrists, attempting to shift the emotional hurt to physical pain, or even to just end your life, yet you wake up and wonder why you are still alive, the answer is God. Whether you know Him or not, He holds you by your right hand. And He will never let you hurt yourself more than you can bear, His heart breaks even at your thought of hurting yourself. Friend, if you are one who is thinking of taking your life by jumping off a building, or perhaps you have tried it already, yet somehow you are still alive, let me put it to you that God was holding you., whether you know Him or not.

Such is the love of the Father. As Asaph was writing Psalm73, he had reached a point in his ministry where he felt so dry and weary, doubting himself and God. That's why the opening of Psalm73 holds painful emotions, thoughts of giving up. But when we come towards the end of Psalm73, it's where we realise that Asaph has straightened his thinking, he writes of how God will remain faithful, of how he has a hope in God, and he expresses complete trust in God. In the beginning of Psalm73, Asaph writes of how physically rich the people in the world are. Yet when Asaph concludes Psalm73, this is how he ends, "But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds." (v28) Hallelujah.


Over the mountains and the sea,
Your river runs with love for me,
and I will open up my heart
and let the Healer set me free.
I'm happy to be in the truth,
and I will daily lift my hands:
for I will always sing of when
Your love came down

I could sing of Your love forever,
I could sing of Your love forever,
I could sing of Your love forever,
I could sing of Your love forever

Let the Earth rejoice
See the risen King
From the glads of praise
He's exalted forever

We will rise with Him
Son of righteousness
And the Earth will shake
In the glory of heaven

See the heavens open wide
And His glory like our God
Fill the earth with salvation
See the nations take His hand
And in righteousness, they stand
This is Jesus generation

Glory, glory, glory, Emmanuel, God is with us

Voice of a Savior

Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just wanna praise You
I just wanna praise You
You broke the chains, now I can lift my hands
And I'm gonna praise You
I'm gonna praise You

In the corners of mind
I just can't seem to find a reason to believe
That I can break free
'Cause you see I have been down for so long
Feel like all hope is gone
But as I lift my hands, I understand
That I should praise You through my circumstance

Everything that could go wrong
All went wrong at one time
So much pressure fell on me
I thought I was gonna lose my mind
But I know You wanna see
If I will hold on through these trials
But I need You to lift this load
'Cause I can't take it no more

Been through the fire and the rain
Bound in every kind of way
But God has broken every chain
So let me go

Shackles (Praise You) - Mandisa

Where do you go to to fill up the void within you? Where do you go to to find a peace that you haven't known for a long time? Where do you go to to just hear someone say 'I love you'? How far would you go to find your purpose and identity once again?

This post may be for you right now, it may not, but I believe the Lord is speaking to you as you listen to the track and read this. Friend, whoever you may be, the Lord is calling you back into His arms again. I don't know what you've been through, I don't know how you far you've ran, but one thing I do know, and that the Lord is faithful. His ears are never too dull to listen to your cries, His arms never too short to reach you. Friend, today the Savior is calling you back. Broken heart, broken life, return to the Father, He'll take you as you are.

Today I sense the Lord leading me specifically to write to 2 particular groups of people.

The first group. You are afraid to look yourself in the mirror. You are afraid to stand on the weighing scale. You are afraid to open your wardrobe, in case you find yourself not being able to fit in some of your clothes anymore. You think so lowly of yourself. You are stressed up because of how you look. You are disappointed that you can't stay 'good looking' (the way the world describes it). It is affecting your daily life, your emotions, decisions, and work. Friend, hear this. It does not matter to the Lord. Y'know, when you begin to despise yourself, you are despising God. You are blaming Him for creating an 'imperfect' you. And more importantly, you are calling God a liar, because you refute His claim that you are 'fearfully and wonderfully made'. Friend, instead of taking that position, why not let your heart be full of praise and thanksgiving? Let your heart echo that of the Psalmist David in Psalm139:14. Praise God, because it is true that if God made you, took a step back to inspect you, then declared 'Very good', you are very good! Friend, learnt to see the beauty of the Lord in your life. Learn to recognise that the Holy Spirit lives in you and that already makes you special. For your outward looks matter not to God, He's looking at your heart. And it is your heart that He sees, what then does He see? Be more concerned about that.

The second group of people I write this to is those who are going through trials at this current period of time. Recently you've been through something horrible, maybe you lost a race, maybe you received a bad grade, maybe you lost something very important to you, maybe you just made a terrible mistake. Or maybe the things in school/work have been such a strain on you. You are feeling stressed, disappointed, upset, confused, maybe you just don't know what to feel anymore (numbness). Friend, one thing to you, persevere. 'Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.' (Romans5:1-5) REJOICE IN YOUR SUFFERING, BECAUSE YOU CAN REJOICE IN THE HOPE OF THE GLORY OF GOD! Many times, we ask God to show us His glory, to show us His will, to reveal to us His plans for us etc. But many of us really do not know what we are praying when we pray this kind of prayer. We want to see what God has for us, but we are not prepared to do what it takes. God's plan/will/ways are sovereign and holy, and it cannot be revealed to the unholy. Therefore, in order that God might reveal to us His plans/will for us, He must first prune us of our unholiness. But many of us miss the point. We think of pruning as 'suffering', which is pardonable because it truly is painful. However, we cannot treat the pruning of our lives as something dreadful. Instead of dreading pruning, we should approach it with joy and thanksgiving because we know that God will not give us too much to bear, and because of that, we will emerge victorious, and stronger in the process. Therefore, let our attitudes this day be as such, one of rejoicing, praising the Lord in every circumstance, for we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. The ultimate goal of our suffering is hope in God. Many of us go through suffering and find it pointless because we have missed the point. Suffering, instead of making us hope and trust stronger in the Lord, caused us to drift away from God instead. We began to blame God, and decided to take things into our own hands, thinking we can control everything. Or we take a different approach, we adopt a heck-care attitude. We become numb to whatever we are going through, and in the midst of it harden our hearts. We become so deaf to how the Holy Spirit encourages/comforts us, that we think God doesn't care, and then we blame God. But this should not be so! 'When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone' (James 1:13) No one should be blaming God for his/her own suffering. Instead, one should rejoice that God, by His grace and mercy, prunes and refines us for His glory. Adopt the right attitude in trials, my friend. Life is about choices. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. Choose to adopt the right attitude, make the right choices and then the Lord will be on your side. (Not that God's love is conditional, but simply because He is a Holy God, He cannot take the side of unholiness)

Friend, as you are reading this, I pray that you will allow the Lord to speak to you. I don't know about you, but I for one, choose to praise the Lord my God, the very same God who gives and takes away, Blessed Be His Name.

Some people try to listen to the bottom of a bottle
Some people try to listen to a needle in their arm
Some people try to listen to the money in their pocket
Some people try to listen to another's arms

You and I are not that different
We got a void and we're just trying to fill it up
With something that'll give just a little peace
All we want is a hand to reach to
Open arms that say I love you
We'd give anything to hear
The voice of a Savior

Some people try to find it with blind ambition
Some people try to find it where no one else has gone
Some people try to find it in the crowns of victory
Some people get defeated and lose the strength to carry on

You and I are not that different
We got a void and we're just trying to fill it up
With something that'll give just a little peace
All we want is a hand to reach to
Open arms that say I love you
We'd give anything to hear
The voice of a Savior
The voice of a Savior

Some people try to find it in the shadow of a steeple
Some people try to find it in the back row pew
Some people try to find it in the arms of Jesus
That's where I found it, how about you?

You and I are not that different
We got a void and we're just trying to fill it up
With something that'll give just a little peace
All we want is a hand to reach to
Open arms that say I love you
We'd give anything to hear
The voice of a Savior
The voice of a Savior
We'd give anything to hear
The voice of a Savior
The voice of a Savior
The voice of a Savior

Voice of a Savior - Mandisa

Are you getting too busy?

Long before I watched this video on www.tangle.com, I already knew that busy-ness was one of Satan's schemes to keep us away from being in full communion with our Holy God. However, just now as I was watching this video, it was like a reminder to myself that we have really been too busy for our own good.

One part that particularly spoke to me was 3:05, which says 'Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted.' As I read this line, I wonder, what is the true meaning of rest? I was in a Tenet class last week, and Pastor Dennis said this, 'We all need to learn to rest. Many of us think that resting is sitting on the couch and watching TV is resting, but many of us do not realise that playing is hard work!' And it's true, many of us do not know what true rest is. Let me give you an example. If someone is stressed out over work, he/she takes a vacation. The vacation is supposed to allow him/her to rest. But when he/she comes back, he/she takes one more day leave from work to rest from the vacation before going back to work!

And so I can't help but wonder, what is the true meaning of rest? What comes to mind is Psalm23.

PSALM 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

V1 'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want'. In school, are you found wanting in terms of results? In the workplace, are you found wanting in terms of promotions? How many of us dare to fully trust God with our grades and promotions? How many of us would be found receiving a bad grade and praising God for it, knowing full well that He is in control? Now I am not saying that we should all be complacent in our studies/work, I encourage all of us to do our best in these areas. Rather, what I am saying is this, how many of us fully understand the power of God in our lives? How many of us trust God with it? Or are we found striving? Are we found wanting? Striving for more of worldly success, or wanting more worldly riches? Again, we come back to the topic of sensuality, which I shall not say more, having written my thoughts in earlier posts. Friends, today allow me to charge you. Dare to trust God fully with your life. Dare to be strong and courageous even in wanting times, even in times of trials and confusion. Dare to trust God. Notice the term is 'I shall not be in need', but it is 'I shall not be in want'. This speak volumes of our priorities when it comes to living our lives. Te Bible tells us that as long as we have food on our tables and clothes on our bodies, we ought to be content. Everything else that comes is a blessing from God. Do not be found wanting, my friend, for you are well taken care of. Your author of your life knows your beginning and your end, and He has everything well taken care of.

V2(a) 'He makes me lie down in green pastures'. Physically speaking, does anyone have to teach us how to lie down? Does anyone have to be forced to lie down? The answer is NO. All of us were born in a lying down position, unless you were born standing up, which is highly impossible. But in the spiritual realm, do we have to be taught how to lie down? The Psalmist David wrote of the Lord that He MADE him lie down. How many of us have to be made to lie down in God's presence today? How many of us dare not even lie down in God's presence for a minute. Too busy with worldly things to do that? Friends, learn today to lie down in God's presence. Learn today to bask in the fullness of God's beauty. It's a wonder how we need to learn to lie down and allow God to refresh us. Nut nonetheless, my friend, learn.

V3(b) 'He guides me in paths of righteousness'. Righteousness is one of the names of God. Jehovah-Tsidkenu: The Lord our righteousness, found in Jeremiah 23:6. Many of us today are found wanting in our schools, striving just to be top, to gain recognition, to obtain our 'best for ourselves'. Friend, let it be known to you that your self-worth is not based on what you can do, but on who you are, and you are a child of God. Need I say more? You have been forgiven and blessed by the only one who could condemn you. Instead of chasing after worldly wealth, chase after the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God brings forth favor. And when you walk in the favor of God, you will walk in the favor of man.

It's currently the March holidays, and it's holidays for me too, waiting to go into Ngee Ann Polytechnic to start a new season of my life. And as I look back, I wonder, how have I been spending this holiday? Have I used it well to rest and be recharged by the Holy Spirit? If you are having your holiday now, use it well. Learn what it means to truly rest in God's presence. Many of us seek temporal enjoyment, going to the movies, or 'sweating it out', or playing computer games etc. Not that all these things are no good, I myself enjoy doing all these. But is this truly resting? or are these just temporal get-aways? Just something that allows you to temporarily forget reality. What's the difference between this and getting drunk, taking drugs etc.? Don't seek temporal get-aways, my friends. It leaves many of us more exhausted than before, and then we need to 'rest'.

And now onto sleep, is sleeping really resting? We speak of getting 8 hours of sleep, to ensure getting enough rest. But won't some of us testify that sometimes sleeping leaves you more tired and sleepy than before? I'm sure many of us have snoozed the alarm clock in the morning, or requested for '5 more minutes' when someone tries to wake us up. I believe if we had truly rested in our sleep, none of these would actually happen. We'd all be so refreshed we get off our beds instantly with joy, ready to embark on the new day! But unfortunately, it doesn't happen often.

What then, is true resting? Personally, I get recharged whenever I enter into the inner courts to meet with God. Every time I enter into God's presence and commune with Him, I find myself recharged and re-energised. And so, to me, resting is about waiting upon the Lord, to simply adore and love Him for who He is, and then for God to love me in a tangible way in return. Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin was a Pastor in the United States. It was known from his son, Jr Kenneth E. Hagin, that there was a period of time that Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin did not physically sleep for a few months. At night, he would be found praying and studying Scripture. And when his son asked him, Rev. Hagin would answer, 'The Holy Spirit will refresh me'. Now that is something I want to experience myself! Again, not that sleeping is no good, but when it takes a certain priority in your life, you know you better sort out your life. True resting is about basking in God's presence, worshiping Him in praise and song, about communicating with Him.

I have shared this with a few people, to whom God allows me to. I don't know when this started, but it has dawned upon me that either I just don't care, or I am just not sentimental, or that I trust God a lot, and I think it's the latter. Many people think my life has no problems as a result. Haha, not true! In fact, in recent times I have been through many ups and downs, I hardly share with anyone though. But even through these times of tribulations, I testify that I did not feel stressed/upset whatsoever. I simply felt peace. And it's a wonderful feeling, to just be at peace no matter what happens. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7) I hold firmly to this verse, which says a lot about letting go and letting God. Truly, dear reader, it is so important to allow the peace of God to guard our hearts and minds. You won't fully understand this until you do it. So go do it.

Rest well, my friend.

'I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.' (Psalm 4:8)


Your faithfullness endures always
Where mountains fall and reason fails
And You calm the raging seas
And You calm the storms in me, again

All I know is I find rest in You
All I know is I find rest in You

My heart will praise throughout the night
Where singing seems a sacrifice
Your grace is all I need
Your grace is all I need

God's Perfect Will vs God's Permissive Will

"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's God's will is-his GOOD, PLEASING and PERFECT will." (Romans12:2, caps mine)

Have you ever went to God and prayed like this, "God, I really really really really REALLY want to date this person", and then you pray this prayer for many times. But each time God says 'No', and then you pray again. After a few times, do you know what God will say? God will say this, "Okay, go ahead, if that's what you want." If God's people pray and ask for things to be a certain way, even if it is not God's perfect will for them, God will often permit it. Don't believe it? A lot of people don't. They claim, "But if God permits it, it has to be His perfect will."

Let's read 1Samuel8. In 1Samuel8, Israel asks for a king. God didn't want the Israelites to have a king like all the other nations. God wanted to be their king. But the Israelites insisted, and so God relented. He said, "All right, go ahead. You have my permission to have a king." But from that point on, the Israelites were never in the perfect will of God again, even though God blessed them and helped them as much as He could.

This is where many people have missed it. Many times God has dealt with them and told them what His will is for their lives. But they keep after Him, praying out of their natural understanding for something they want. So finally God says, "Alright, if you want it that way, go ahead." You see, God is gentle, and He will not force His way around. He will reveal to you His will for your life, but it'll be your decision to follow in His ways.

A lot of times, our prayers have a lot to do with how far we go in our destiny. Do we pray selfish prayers, whereby our wants take priority over God's will? There was a farmer who always prayed, "God, bless me and my wife, my son John and his wife-us four and no more!" Most of us may not say those exact words, but if we would examine our prayer lives, we just might find that our prayers are just like the farmer's, 'praying with our own understanding'. In other words, most of our prayer time is devoted to praying about matters that concern ourselves and our loved ones. In short, our prayers are often selfish, where our wants take priority over God's will for us. Think about it, when was the last time you prayed, "God, your will be done".

Friend you and I need to pray like Jesus did at Gethsemane. "'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'"(Matthew26:39) and again in Matthew26:42,"'My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.'"

I don't know about you, but I'd rather live in God's perfect will than in God's permissive will. It's your choice to make.

Many people, after living in God's permissive will, encounter difficult situations and then wonder why God ever allowed them to go through what they did. But the thing is, it wasn't God who got them into the mess! You see, when we insist on something, God will say, "Okay! Okay!If that's what you want, go ahead", but He will never say, "This is my will, walk in it and be blessed". John15:7, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. The key to abundant living is constant abiding in God's will, not our wants/desires! That's why it's so important to get the Word of God in us first before we pray. We need to ensure that God's Word is abiding in us. We need to start praying scriptural prayers, not human-understanding prayers. Friend you and I must never get out of God's Word when we pray. Build a strong foundation of the Word in your prayer life. If you don't have that foundation, you may go off after a desire that's not God's will for you, and that is very dangerous.

I don't know about you, but I'm not satisfied with God's permissive will or with His second best- I want God's very best! His will before mine in every circumstance, throughout earth and eternity.

No eye has seen no ear has heard
The good that the Lord has prepared
For those who wait on Him
To hear His voice
I am the Potter and you are the clay

Jesus take me in Your hand
And make me all that You want me to be
Jesus help me understand my purpose
And what You can do through me
Fulfilling my destiny

God, Save Our Generation!

1 Timothy 2:3-4 'For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.'

Ephesians 4:13 'till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ'

If it is God's will that we be saved and grow in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ, why is it so hard? If God is working with us, should this not be easy? Our first response to this is very likely, "Well, I guess it's just that I am so evil"; "It must be human nature"; or "I'm so bad God must not be hearing my prayers." Some get so weary with the difficulty that they say, "God will just have to take me as I am."

All these justifications may indeed be factors, but they are not precisely correct because most of us have some besetting sin or sins that we fail miserably to overcome time after time. Why, if it is God's will, do we not overcome them more easily?

The sin need not be easily recognizable by others, as Paul writes to Timothy that "some men's sins are clearly evident" (I Timothy 5:24). It can be a hidden sin, though we are well aware of it, know it is evil, and feel constant guilt and self-condemnation because of our weakness before it.

It can be a sin of omission and not a sin of commission, in which one is directly guilty of bringing loss or pain upon another. Perhaps the failing concerns acts of kindness or mercy that we have frequently and consistently failed to do to relieve another's burden, but we know of it and are convicted of its seriousness.

This is the key to understanding why spiritual growth is so hard. Consider one's original conversion. Why did this even occur? Romans 2:4 says, "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance." This happened only because God was revealing Himself and making us conscious of factors of life we had never before felt with that force. It moved us to repent and throw ourselves on His mercy. In reality, it was the only option He held open to us because we felt powerless to go in any other direction. Can we overcome death? The key is our awareness of powerlessness as the first essential element to spiritual growth.

In II Corinthians 12:10, Paul makes this point. "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." In chapter 13:4, he adds emphasis to this by saying, "For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you." Just as a prerequisite to conversion is recognizing and acknowledging our utter failure in the face of sin and death, so also is a deep consciousness of our frailty required in the face of overcoming and growth in following God's way and glorifying Him.

Without this overriding sense of dependence, we will never turn to God in the first place. Without this sense of need, we will not continuously turn to Him because our passivity in this will declare that in reality, like the Laodiceans, we think we need nothing and are sufficient unto ourselves. We will be like the confident Peter, who, boasting that unlike others he would never desert Christ, immediately fell flat on his face in spiritual failure. The secret of growth in Christian character largely lies in realizing our powerlessness and acknowledging it before God.

Perhaps John 15:5 will now have more meaning. Jesus says, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." It does not mean that without Him we could never design an automobile or send a rocket to the moon. It means that we could produce nothing of a true, godly, spiritual nature within the calling of God that truly glorifies Him.

Just in case we think He is saying more than He really means, think about the following commands. Jesus says in Matthew 5:44, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." He adds in Matthew 6:31, "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'" If these are challenging, try I Corinthians 15:34: "Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame."

We have a long way to go. It is time to stop playing church—realizing that judgment is now on us—and turn to God with all our heart. He promises that, if we do this, He will hear from heaven and respond. We must constantly keep in mind that God is the Potter with the power to mold and shape as He wills. As the clay, our job is to yield, realizing even the power to submit comes from Him.

To understand this from an even broader perspective, we must consider how mankind has acted in its relationship with God beginning with Adam and Eve. They said, "God, stay out of our lives. We don't need you. We will do this ourselves." Therefore, rather than choosing from the Tree of Life, they chose from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. All mankind has copied this approach down to the Laodiceans, who say they are rich and increased with goods and need nothing. It will continue even to those who will curse and blaspheme God during the final plagues in the Day of the Lord (Revelation 16:21).

adapted from The Berean

I see the King of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
The whole earth shakes

I see His love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
The people sing

Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest

I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith
With selfless faith

I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees
We're on our knees

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to
Eternity

Hosanna (Live) - Hillsong United

Life Without Limits Is Not Life Without Boundaries

Looking at recent news articles, browsing through different blogs, walking down the streets, observing what is going on around us in the world today, I can't help but wonder what Jesus would think at his second coming. It appears that the story of Samson has been lost on this generation. Samson, who was born with so much potential but died with such disgrace, it is as though the story is unfolding in so many lives today.

Samson was born a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, called by God to begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines. (Judges13:5) In Biblical times, a Nazirite is someone who sets himself apart for the glory of God. The Nazirite law can be found in Numbers 6. Let us go through the Nazirite law.

Numbers6:3-4 - 'he must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. As long as he is a Nazirite, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins'. This part of the Nazirite law deals with the private life of a Nazirite. When no one is watching, do you have the integrity and will to do what is right? When no one is watching, do you still consider the law of God and the vow you made to Him?

Numbers6:5 - 'During the entire period of his vow of separation no razor may be used on his head. He must be holy until the period of his separation to the LORD is over; he must let the hair of his head grow long'. This part of the Nazirite law deals with the public image of a Nazirite. When someone does not cut his hair for a long period of time, everyone notices! A Nazirite's long hair was public declaration that he/she has been consecrated to God. It was a sign of holiness and pure devotion to the Most High God. In the same way, God is still calling out for His people to boldly declare of their consecration unto Him in a radical manner! Will you do it? What will make you do it?

Numbers6:6-7 - 'Throughout the period of his separation to the LORD he must not go near a dead body. Even if his own father or mother or brother or sister dies, he must not make himself ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of his separation to God is on his head'. This part of the Nazirite law deals with the heart issue. How much of you is devoted to God? Luke14:26 'If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.' This were the very words of Jesus. Jesus is not calling us to hate our loved ones. Rather, he is calling us to love God to the point that our love for our loved ones pale in comparison to our love for Him. Comparing your love to God, your love for your family must be as though you hate them. That is the degree of love for God to which Jesus is calling us to! Our hearts must be fully yielded to God.

As I examine the life of Samson, I find a few learning points.

1. The grace of God is abundant
If we study the life of Samson, we realize that Samson broke every part of the Nazirite law, except one, which was his long hair. Surely as a man set apart by God from birth he should know better right? WRONG. Why did Samson eventually break almost all the parts of the Nazirite law? The answer is simple. Samson only did what he did because of what his parents placed on him. What he did did not come out of a willingness, but out of falsehood. Friend, you and I, what we do must flow out of who we are. It must come out of a personal relationship with God, out of a willingness. We cannot live on someone else's spirituality. What we do must flow out of who we are, not what we must do, but who we are! A religious Spirit will kill us. We must live our life out of our love for God, not of a wanting to be blessed (Greed Spirit). We must be careful of the way we live our lives. Samson lived dangerously. He broke almost all of the Nazirite law, but his strength remained. Likewise, God's grace is abundant for all of us. It is the grace of God that allows us to be successful. The Bible tells us that all our righteous acts are like filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6), we must be destroyed! BUT the grace of God has allowed us not only to survive, but also to live in abundance, experiencing the prosperity of Heaven. BUT friends, we must remember the story of Samson. We cannot take the grace of God for granted. We must remember that while God is a God of grace, God is also a God of judgment. Samson lost his destiny and died together with the Philistines because he failed to embrace God's calling upon his life. The Bible tells us that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1Peter5:8). The devil prowls around looking to rob us of our 'abundance' destiny, and we must stand guard against him! Take up our spiritual weapons, and be watchful! Don't let the enemy have his way. We need to learn to hate that which is unholy.

2. Ownership of our destiny
Studying the life of Samson, it is obvious that Samson did not have any ownership of his destiny. He most probably knew what God had set him apart, as seen from his following of part of the Nazirite law of having long hair. But although he knew, he never took ownership of his destiny. Samson lived dangerously. As I ponder upon this point, I can't help but wonder if we in the church are taking ownership of our salvation. Are we also living dangerously? The Bible tells us that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. And faith without deeds is dead. What kind of deeds are we doing today? Are we like Samson, living dangerously? Do we understand the difference between a move of God and plain emotion? Are we plain sensual creatures, the same as everything else in the world? Many of us are not standing guard. We receive everything that the world throws at us. I'm talking about sensual things.
a)Are we being a good steward of our speech? We talk sensually, using vulgarities in the same breath we use to worship God. Don't think that God doesn't understand you just because you curse and swear in Hokkien. God understands more languages than you, He knows heavenly language, you don't. Friends we need to be good stewards of our tongue, which holds the power of life and death. The Bible tells us that what goes into a man does not make him unclean; what comes out of a man makes him unclean. (Matt15:11)
b)Are we being good stewards of our clothes? Clothes were meant to be a frame for our faces, but in this generation it is becoming a frame for our bodies. Instead of covering our bodies, we're covering our faces. And I'm talking about those in the church community as well. We dress the same as the world does! For guys, clothes are getting tighter and tighter. For girls, your blouses are getting lower and lower, your skirts are getting higher and higher! If Jesus were to come today and walk down the streets, I tremble at the thought of what he'd say about us and the way we dress, believers and non-believers alike.
c)Are we being good stewards of our technology? We visit sensual sites, watch sensual movies, watch things we're not supposed to. What do our blogs tell people about God?
d)Are we being good stewards of our emotions? The spirit of anger and hatred has consumed this generation so much that we're numb to it. We take it as okay. We even have labels like 'emo'. Why are we practicing such lawlessness? Our emotions must be brought under subjection, lest we will be controlled by them. That's what the devil does. He will play with your emotions so much till you think you cannot control it anymore and then suddenly you are brought under its subjection. Don't let that happen.
e)Are we being good stewards of our relationships? Divorce cases are increasing. Abortion stats are going up. Teen pregnancy is becoming more prevalent. Casual sex is becoming a 'norm'. There is something serious going on, and we need to do something about it!
Friends, you and I, we need to take ownership of our salvation. We need to be in the world but not of it. We've been called to be world changers, not world followers. If we are to live in the abundant life of God, we need to keep away from death. Stay away from people of death, from places of death, from foods and drinks of death, from games of death, from sites of death, from objects of death. One thing that I'm talking about is our emotions. A lot of us get emotional breakdowns easily. We get angry and feel hurt easily. We cry so much not out of conviction of the Holy Spirit but out of self-pity. And then we vent our anger everywhere, on our blogs especially. This cannot be! Our blogs desperately need to be a testimony unto God! If we are to love the life of God, we need to hate the death of the devil. The truth is, if from today we truly hate the things of death, many of us will be turning our homes upside down. We'll be throwing much of our wardrobe, throwing away our computers, throwing away some of our books, some of our games. Today we need to start searching deep within our hearts. Right where you are, do it.

Friends we need to understand that having a good start does not guarantee a good ending. Samson had a great start. But he didn't finish well. The Bible tells us that the door is small and the path is narrow. (Matt7:14) You've gone through the small door, good! Now walk on the narrow path, and be careful not to be thrown off-course. You and I have a responsibility to follow as the Holy Spirit leads, to live our lives with fear and trembling. The world has promoted humankind so much that we have grown to love ourselves so much and think ourselves as infallible. Wrong thinking! The truth is, we need to live our lives with fear and trembling before God, because the day and the hour is unknown when the Son of Man will come. We need to be good and faithful servants, watchful day and night, in and out of season. (Matt24)


Everyone needs compassion,
Love that's never failing;
Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.

Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.

Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.

So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.

My Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.

Shine your light and let the whole world see,
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus

Mighty To Save - Hillsong United

Does Jesus know you?

Friend I plead with you, whether you have time or not, please watch the video. This 1 hour of video is going to change the next 60 years of your life. If you are serious with God, please watch the video.


Paul Washer is the founder of the HeartCry Missionary Society. This video shows him preaching at a youth conference to which he was invited. At the end of the message he was told that he'd never get invited back to the church to speak again because of his harshness and refusal to preach anything else but the truth. What is Christianity coming to? Are we only becoming sensual listeners, willing to listen to only what we like to hear? And then we condemn the pastor of heresy when he preaches something we don't like to hear, even though deep down inside we know it's true? Friends, we cannot breed the spirit of sensuality in our churches, much less in ourselves! Christianity is more than the sinner's prayer, more than the confession of Jesus. Yes, salvation is free for all. We don't have to work for it. It is a free gift to all, Jews and Gentiles alike, from God. And yes, you and I today can have it.

But what does 1 Corinthians 1:18 say? "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1Cor1:18) What is the message of the cross? Has the spirit of sensuality blinded the Christians so much that we have missed out on the message of the cross? What is the message of the cross? The cross represents not just salvation, it represents TRANSFORMATION! To stop at salvation and deny transformation is to deny the message of the cross! The day you started to believe in Jesus Christ, you were called to "not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom12:2) You were called to be transformed. To be a radical Christian is to be a transformed Christian, born again, a new creation, a person who is in the world but not of the world, light of the world, loving God and hating the world.

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Mat6:24) The Hebrew translation for 'money' is Mammon, which also means materialism. Friend, you and I cannot love both God and Mammon, which is of the world. Mammon has a personality of its own. It is beyond the dollars and cents and the figures in our bank accounts and other instruments of wealth. Mammon is a personality that poses a direct challenge to God! Those who serve Mammon will end up being slaves to Mammon. Mat6:24 clearly states that either you serve God or Mammon. Nothing in between. The Bible clearly states that there are only 2 ways to live - God-centered living or self-centered living.

One thing that I have observed in my years as a Christian. Not everyone who is willing to say the sinner's prayer is willing to pay the price that comes with it. I don't know if you have, but I have heard this saying, "Let's win the converts, then give them time and then we'll make disciples of them" and "We're winning more converts than disciples". There's no such thing as 'converts'! The Bible clearly states that either you are a believer or a non-believer, either you love God and serve Him, or you love Mammon and serve it. Either you love or hate God. There's no in between. You are either a slave to Christ or a slave to the world. I, for one, choose to serve God and love Him all my days. And friend I hope that you too, will make this choice. Complete transformation is required for the fulfillment of the message of the cross. Your confession of Christ must be both inward and outward. If you profess of Christ, then you must walk in the light, as God is light.(1John1-2) It's time to be Holy, as Jesus Himself was Holy.

It's time to stand for all we believe in. No more breeding of the Spirit of Mammon in our lives, in our churches, in our homes, in our communities. I pray desperately that fire from Heaven will come down this day and touch your heart, dear reader, that you might catch my heart in this post, that you might catch God's heart and will for you, that your eyes might be opened and that this day shall be a day of renewed commitment and conviction, a complete transformation that will last through time and eternity.

Mat7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."


Open our eyes
To see the things that make Your heart cry
To be the church that You would desire
Your light to be seen

Break down our pride
And all the walls we've built up inside
Our earthly crowns and all our desires
We lay at Your feet

Let hope rise
And darkness tremble
In Your holy light
That every eye will see
Jesus our God
Great and mighty to be praised

God of all days
Glorious in all of Your ways
Oh the majesty the wonder and grace
In the light of Your Name

With everything
With everything
We will shout for Your glory
With everything
With everything
We will shout forth Your praise

Our hearts they cry
Be glorified
Be lifted high above all names
For You our King
With everything
We will shout forth Your praise

With Everything - Hillsong Live

All For Jesus!

'Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. O king, Araunah gives all this to the king." Araunah also said to him, "May the LORD your God accept you." But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.' (2 Samuel 24:24)

What did David mean when he said what he said to Araunah? 'I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing'. What David meant when he said it was that he will only sacrifice to God what costs him something. Friends, how many of us this day are running away from God because God is calling you to give up something that you find so hard to part with? You are running away from God because you know that God is calling you to give up something precious. I know some of us here are quite blessed financially, and God is calling you to perhaps give to God in terms of finance, that's good. But not everyone has been called to give financially or give to God what He has blessed you with. Perhaps for some of us, God is calling you to give up your CCA, perhaps transfer school, or even perhaps go into full-time ministry, or whatever it is. God bless your heart as you walk in obedience. But friends, how many times have we chosen to disobey God by not walking in the destiny that He has called us to? Maybe you feel that the price to pay is too high, and you have chosen not to obey. Now I'm not here to condemn you, for there is no condemnation in Jesus Christ. But friends I say to you this day, stop doing it. We need to learn to embrace the charge of 'God says it, I believe it, that settles it'. There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who thought and never did and those who did and never thought. I pray we will be like the latter, people of faith. God says it, I believe it, that settles it. And you walk in obedience.

My current MSN nickname states: Obedience supercedes choice. Have you ever heard, or perhaps said it yourself when you made a decision, 'No choice', or perhaps 'It's my life, my choice'. God has given all of us freewill, and that, choices. I love having choices. I love going into a shopping mart and looking at all the different choices I have. BUT there is one thing that choices are doing to this generation, and we must recognise that. The ability to choose and the privilege of having choices has made us into a self-centered generation, one which lives for self and not for others, completely against the idea that God has intended for mankind. God has intended for mankind to love each other as self, to live in communion with each other and God. But the privilege of having choices has caused us to rebel against that. The idea of obedience has become completely forgotten among us, completely shredded within our minds. Friends! When it comes to God, obedience must supercede choice! Yes, we are given many choices in life, and we are able to choose because God has given us freewill, but obedience to God must come first! It's very sad to know that in this generation of believers, there are many of us who can sing songs of the theme 'I will carry the cross', but leave it all there at the alters! It's very saddening to know that while you can sing of 'I will go where God leads me' and then your life is so different! Friends it's time to take God seriously.

I don't know what God is calling you to today, but I pray that you will obey and go. No doubt it may be painful, perhaps cost you big-time, but today let us catch God's heart for us, something which David did. Do not sacrifice to the Lord your God anything which costs you nothing. It's not going to be easy, but it'll be rewarding. Not that when you choose to disobey God you will not be able to live in the life God has purposed for you. Friends read this carefully, I'm treading on thin line here. Not that you will experience disasters or that you'll be cursed if you choose to ignore God's calling for your life. God is a God of grace and He will not force you, He will just prompt you. No matter the choices you make, God will make a way, if you will hang on to Him. BUT! When you choose to walk in the destiny that God has called you to, you will store for yourself treasures in Heaven.

As I am typing this, I just feel that this may be for some. You are afraid to embrace what God has for you. Perhaps God is calling you out of your comfort zone, to do something that you've never done before. And you feel really uncomfortable, because you do not know what to expect. You are hanging on to your past experiences, victories and failures, refusing to step out into the new season God has called you into. Friend I say to you today, do not fear. For your God is mighty to save. He knows your beginning and end, and He's already penned your life, down to the last second. Your life is in the palm of His hands, and He who started the work in you will bring it into completion. This day, my friend, fear no more, because you have a God who loves you, who knew you before you were born, who now calls you by your name. Let Psalm91 be your prayer, and know that when you take one step towards God, He takes a thousand steps towards you. Your latter shall be greater than your former, step out in faith.

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be. Friends today let our hearts be in heaven, not on this earth. Let us throw aside everything that hinders us from walking in our God-given destiny. Let us shift our focus from the temporal things of this world to the things of Heaven, where we know that when we walk in our God-given destiny, we store for ourselves treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.(Mat6:19-21)

For my readers, those of you who know me would know that I am currently waiting for my 'O' Level results, and I would either go to Junior-College or Polytechnic to further my studies this coming year. I wanted very much to go into Junior-College, because I 'feel' more comfortable going there, knowing what to expect in terms of curriculum, subjects and disciplines. But as I was seeking God on this particular area, God began to reveal to me His plans for me, bit by bit. And God directed me to pursue my studies in Polytechnic. And so right now I've decided to go to Polytechnic. I honestly do not know what to expect, because I only know a little bit about Polytechnic culture and curriculum. But I'm gonna trust God's sovereignty. That as He's called me, He will be my provider, He will open doors for me, and I'm gonna walk through them, by faith and not by sight. Because I meant it when I said 'God, wherever you lead I will follow.' I am not going with the flow, because God has called me to be in the world but not of the world. Friends I pray that you too will not shortchange yourself by not walking in the destiny that God has called you to. Remember, obedience supercedes choice. Salvation is by grace through faith. But faith without deeds is dead. Do what it takes to follow Christ.

'Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.' (Luke9:23-24)

i will run to you - hillsong

Your eye is on the sparrow
And Your hand, it comforts me
From the ends of the Earth to the depth of my heart
Let Your mercy and strength be seen

You call me to Your purpose
As angels understand
For Your glory, may You draw all men
As Your love and grace demand

And I will run to You
To Your words of truth
Not by might, not by power
But by the spirit of God
Yes I will run the race
Till I see Your face
Oh let me live in the glory of Your grace

Sensuality

IGNYTE Sunday Group, we're moving back to chapel! That is wonderful news, because it means we're growing, and God is releasing His blessings upon us to grow even further. Let us keep growing.

But even as I was pondering upon this thing of moving our service back to chapel, God spoke to my heart. This generation is a sensual generation. Are we, too?

'Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.' (Ephesians4:14)

One question that I have is this, are we becoming sensual believers? Are we living our lives based on our own feelings? Are we making decisions based on our own emotions? Are we making choices because "I feel like it"? Most of all, are our services dependent more on the "ambiance" than on God Himself? Is our worship dependent on the quality of the sound and 'nice-ness' of the lights, or perhaps on the singer's voice?

One of the questions I desire to ask is this, one day if our church building is destroyed somehow, and we hold our services underground or perhaps in a muddy field, maybe even out in the rain, would the people come? WOULD YOU COME?

One of the weapons of the enemy today is sensuality. The enemy will throw all kinds of sensual things at you because he knows once he gets to your senses and emotions he'll get you. Friends we have to know this. Our faith cannot be based on sensual things, cannot be influenced by the 'I feel like', nor on earthly values anymore. Friends it is time to tune our hearts to God, away from everything that the world throws at us. That's also what being radical for Jesus means. To stand firm on the rock of Christ despite all the waves that the devil throws at you, all the winds that he throws at you. It is about standing firm on the truth of God's Word and the power of His love despite all your circumstances.

Friends, you and I must stop allowing the spirit of sensuality to affect our worship, to hinder our commitments with God, to ultimately destroy our relationship with God. Friends, let us turn our face away from our circumstances and choose instead to focus on the face of God.

Radicalled yet?

Was looking through some blogs, viewing the different posts from different ones about IGNYTE camp. Though each one different, each post carried the same tag line: Rad(I)cal was life-changing. Rad(I)cal has just passed. And the last few days I have been recollecting what I can take away from the camp. Sure, the games were fun, the sermons were great, the bonding was awesome, but above all, what does God want us to take away from Rad(I)cal?

"Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." (Hebrews 5:13-14)

What does being radical mean? Living a radical lifestyle means to know your purpose in living and living for that one purpose. It speaks of complete devotion to that ONE cause and doing everything it takes to see the cause prosper. For us, it is the cause of Christ. In a world of divided loyalties, our devotion to the ONE cause of Christ is being tested every day.

BUT just as Hebrews5:13-14 states, those who trade solid food for milk is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. Solid food, when consumed, requires one to chew and break it down. It requires work, training and time. But milk, on the other hand, simply needs to be swallowed. It is easier to consume compared to solid food. Just as in our spiritual life, many times we'd rather trade our trials and sufferings for something easier. Many of us today only accept the blessings from God, but refuse the service to God. We only want the 'easy' part of Christianity. Come On! It's time for us to stand for all we believe in. If you know that your God is mighty to save, then why are you afraid to accept the 'solid' trials and sufferings, of which you know you will emerge stronger, because the joy of the Lord is your strength?

Recently at a cell-based Christmas Party, I SALTed an 'Anti-Christ'. As I was SALTing the person, it came to my knowledge that his 'Christian' friends wanted me to stop. They were afraid that because both of us are quite strong headed, they were afraid that quarrels might ensue. Come on! If your friend is skeptical about Christ, all the more you should SALT him! The enemy has taken a foothold in your friend's life, and you, in your fear of the unexpected, refuse to SALT to him, what does this tell God about you? Would you rather trade the solid food for milk? It's time to war! It's time to accept more than just the 'easy' part. SALT even the hardcore people!

Friends, like it or not, we have been called into spiritual warfare. Sure, it isn't going to be easy, and there is only 1 way you can fight this war. Fight as a strong soldier with your allegiance for God clear, or you will be destroyed when the war is fought.

"It was he who gave...until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming." (Ephesians 4:11-14)

Friends, radical living requires us to be mature. No more 'infant' behaviour. No more being afraid of anything else besides God alone. Sure, childlike faith is to be applauded, but childlike thinking and behaviour is to be admonished. We cannot be infants anymore. When our allegiance with God becomes clear, we will no longer be like infants, tossed around by what the world throws at us. Instead, we will stand firm on the rock of Christ. Friends, it's time to grow up. IT'S TIME TO ARISE FROM OUR SLUMBER. To live radical lives involves being mature in our speech, life, love, faith and purity. To be mature involves learning how to walk in obedience to God. It is making the choice to live by God's viewpoint rather than your human viewpoint. Galatians 5:16 and 25 give the key, "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature…Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." The word "walk" in verse 16 is from the Greek word peripateo, which means "to walk with a purpose in view." The word "walk" in verse 25 is translated from another Greek word stoicheo and it means "step by step, one step at a time." It is learning to walk under the instruction of another. That person is the Holy Spirit. And since we are indwelt by the Spirit, we must learn to walk under His control.

Radical living involves moving out of our comfort zone, and while being clear of our purpose and allegiance with God, going all out. In camp we talked about taking our nation for Jesus. And the time has come. Rad(I)cal camp has ended, radical living starts now. As a believer, you are not to be milk-fed. Instead, you are called to chew on the "meat" of God's Word. Friends, THE TIME HAS COME.

"And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." (Romans 13:11-12)

The Time Has Come.wma - Hillsong

Found love beyond all reason
You gave Your life Your all for me
And called me Yours forever
Caught in the mercy fallout
Found hope
Found life
Found all I need
You're all I need

The time has come
To stand for all we believe in
So I for one am gonna
Give my praise to You

Today today it's all or nothing
All the way
The praise goes out to You
Yeah all the praise goes out to You
Today today I live for one thing
To give You praise
In everything I do
Yeah all the praise goes out to You

All we are is Yours
And all we're living for
Is all You are
Is all that You are Lord

A Broken Heart, A Contrite Spirit

PSALM 51
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.

5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts ;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.

14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings to delight you;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.


Oh Lord I have sinned. I gave in to temptation, well knowing I shouldn't have. I knew, yet I did it. I ignored you, Holy Spirit. My heart is broken, my bones crushed, my spirit dried, my soul lost. Lord I need you. Do not turn your face away from me. Have mercy on me, Lord Almighty. Renew my mind and transform my entire being. I know I have sinned. I know my mistake, and I come to you. Lord I pray that you will come and fill me once again. Holy Spirit come and take your place. I am a sinner, but you Lord, are a Lord of grace. I cheapened your grace, but Lord you never let me go. In your love you watched me as I fall, but you never left me. In your mercy you watched as I succumbed, yet you made a way. Lord I'm sorry. I am a sinner. Forgive me. Rebuke me, Lord, that I may learn. But also make a way. That I may return to you just as the prodigal son did. Now I truly know the story. Such grace, unheard of. Such love, unspoken of. Oh, if I could have just a portion. That would satisfy. Lord Jesus, only you can satisfy. I need you.

At the Table

"Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected" (John12:1-4)

This scene from John 12 presents us with different characters, which I will study.

The first character is Jesus. In John 11:45-57, the chief priests and the Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus, and Jesus, knowing this, withdrew to the village of Ephraim, a region near the desert. And so my question is this. If Jesus knew of the plot to kill him and thus withdrew to a remote village where no one recognized him, why then did Jesus, especially only less than a week before the Passover, return to Bethany, and hence into civilisation? In John 11:57, the Bible tells us that if anyone saw Jesus, he/she was to report him to the authorities. Bethany, as told in John11:18, was less then two miles away from Jerusalem, which would have had a huge population at that time. So, when Jesus returned to Bethany, it was suicide! Why, of all places, did Jesus go to Bethany? The answer is simple, OBEDIENCE. Jesus definitely knew that by going to Bethany, he would be in a position of danger. But he knew he had to do it anyway. Jesus knew he couldn't stay out of civilisation forever, that wouldn't be accomplishing what he came to do! And so he went. And because he went, we have the rest of the gospels. And because he went in obedience, Jesus ultimately accomplished what he came to do, and you and I are saved today. Jesus act of obedience was his worship unto God. And friends, we need to catch this Spirit from Jesus. We need to imitate his obedience. How many of us have procrastinated writing the rest of the gospels of our lives because we have chosen to reside in wilderness? How many of us have not accomplished what we came out to do because we have been so afraid of the what goes around us? We feel intimidated by what the world is doing to us and so we run into remoteness, where no one can find us, and we refuse to get out because we're afraid to go out and face what the world has for us. Friends if all of us are going to stay in our own remoteness, in our own comfort zones, the world is going to die! Without us, God will not! Friends, the gospels for our life need a strong finish. Leave a strong legacy, not a wimp's account, but a warrior's legacy. Finish the gospel of you life, and finish it strong. Allow God to use you, by stepping out and availing yourself to God. This day, worship God with your obedience.

The second character John presents to us is Martha. At this dinner, Martha is serving. The church needs people like that. Marthas ready to get their hands dirty for the cause of Christ. Marthas ready to go wherever their service is needed. Marthas who will go the extra mile just to make the place cleaner, the shelves tidier, the food tastier, the chairs neater, the atmosphere more presentable. Marthas are the ones who keep the pace of the church. Marthas don't live off the applause. They don't live off the applause. That’s not to say they don’t need it. They just aren’t addicted to it. BUT Marthas have a weakness. They tend to put their mission over the master. In Luke10 we find a seated Mary and a fuming Martha. Martha is angry because Mary is, horror of horrors, sitting at the feet of Jesus. How impractical! How irrelevant! How unnecessary! I mean, who has time to sit and listen when there is bread to be baked, tables to be set, and souls to be saved? So Martha complained, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" (Luke 10:40) Suddenly Martha has gone from serving Jesus to making demands of Jesus! "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. Only one thing is important. Mary has chosen the better thing, and it will never be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42). Martha got the point, and we find her serving again in John12. In John12, is Mary helping out in the kitchen? No, she is worshiping Jesus, this is what she loves to do. But this time, Martha does not object. She has learned that there is a place for praise and worship. When Mary brings the perfume in and poured it on Jesus' feet, Martha does not object. The old Martha would have. Such an act was too lavish, too extravagant, too generous. But this mature Martha has learned that just as there is a place in the kingdom of God for sacrificial service, there is also a place for extravagant praise. Marthas need to know that worship is service.

The third character John presents is Mary. Marys are gifted with praise. They don’t just sing, they worship. They don’t simply attend church, they go to offer praise. They don’t just talk about Christ, they radiate Christ. The church needs Marys because all of us, we tend to forget how much God loves worship. Marys don’t forget. They know that God wants to be known as a father. They know that a father likes nothing more than to have his children sit as his feet and spend time with him. Marys love nothing better then to sit at the feet of the Father and enjoy His presence. Whenever you find a Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus, don't ask them to leave. Much better to ask them to pray for you. The church desperately needs some Marys. We need them to pray, to inspire, to worship and to radiate Christ. But Marys must be careful to meditate on Luke6:46, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say?”
Marys need to know that service is also worship.

The fourth character John presents to us is Lazarus. Lazarus knows that not everyone can play in the band or contribute with his hands. As the dinner, as far as we know, Lazarus did nothing at the table. He simply resided at the table. But Lazarus was simply saving his work for outside the house. "Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came , not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him." (John12:9-11) Lazarus worshiped with his testimony! He testified of God's grace and mercy when he was raised from the dead, and because of his testimony many Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him! Lazarus had a testimony, and he worshiped with it. God gave Martha a heart of service, Mary a heart of worship and Lazarus a heart of testimony. Friend if you have a testimony, then share it. Remind the rest of us that we were once lost but now found, dead but now alive, blind but now we see. Your testimony does not have to be dramatic, it simply has to be real.

The fifth character is Judas. Everyone had their place at the table, except him. He couldn't find his place. Although Judas had been with Jesus longer than the rest, his heart was furthest. His heart had grown cold to Jesus. The miracles didn't amaze him anymore. The parables didn't impact him anymore. The teachings didn't inspire him anymore. His heart had grown cold. And more than that, Judas was a thief.(John12:6) When Mary poured her perfume onto Jesus' feet, Judas feigned spirituality, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages."(John12:5) But Jesus knew Judas' heart, and Jesus defended Mary's worship. Judas had been taking money out of the money bag, and he wanted the perfume to be sold so that he had access to more money. And very sadly, there are many Judas' in the church today. In every church there are those like Martha who take time to serve. There are those like Mary who take time to worship. There are those like Lazarus who take time to testify. But there are also those who are like Judas who take, take and take but never give. Friends my question is this. Are you near Christ but far from his heart? Are you at the dinner with a sour soul? Are you always criticizing the gifts of others yet seldom, if ever, giving your own? Are you benefiting from the church while never giving to it? Do others give sacrificially while you give miserly? Do you take, take and take but never give in return? If honestly, it's a yes, then you are the Judas in this story. Friend my advice to you today is this, return to the heart of worship. If your heart has grown cold don't dwell in that place any longer. Allow God to take your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Don't harden your heart any longer. My prayer for you today is that you will shift your focus. Shift from the money bag to the table. Shift from what you can receive to what you can give. Friend I pray that you will truly find your place at the table.

Jesus had a heart of obedience. Friends we need to catch that. To die to ourselves and follow God, no matter what it takes. It's not easy to count your cost and live for the cause, but this day, know that just as Jesus saw the heart of Judas, God sees yours.
Marthas have been called to serve. Remind the rest of us that there is evangelism in feeding the poor and worship in keeping the church tidy.
Marys have been called to worship. Remind the rest of us that we don't have to be busy to be holy.
Lazarus' have been called to testify. Remind the rest of us that all of us have a story to proclaim.

If you are a Martha, be strengthened. God sees your service.
If you are a Mary, be encouraged. God receives your worship.
If you are a Lazarus, be strong. God honors your conviction.
But if you are a Judas, be warned. God sees your selfishness.


When the music fades
All is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that's of worth
That will bless Your heart

I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made and
When it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus

King of endless worth
No one could express
How much You deserve
Though I'm weak and poor
All I have is Yours
Every single breath

Draw Me Close To You

Just the time I feel
That I've been caught
In the mire of self.
Just the time I feel
My mind's been bought
By worldly wealth.
That's when the breeze begins
To blow I know,
The Spirit's Call.
And all my worldly wanderings
Just melt into His Love.

Oh, I want to know You more!
Deep within my soul I want to know You,
Oh, I want to know You.
To feel Your Heart and know Your Mind,
Looking in Your eyes stirs up within me,
Cries that says I want to know You
Oh, I want to know You more.
Oh, I want to know You more.

When my daily deeds
Ordinarily lose life and song,
my heart begins to bleed,
sensitivity to Him is gone.
I've run the race but set my own pace
and face a shattered soul,
But the Gentle Arms of Jesus
warm my hungering to be whole.

Oh, I want to know You more!
Deep within my soul I want to know You,
Oh, I want to know You.
And I would give my final breathe
To know You in Your Death and Resurrection,
Oh, I want to know You more.
Oh, I want to know You more.
Oh, I want to know You more

My focus has been wrong. I had been placing my world on the wrong things. I kept building, the materials were right, but the foundations were wrong. A house was built, but on sand and not on rock. And when the waves came, the sand gave way, and my house came crumbling down. But Lord, You knew better. Through the seasons, You always held me by my right hand, and you never let go of me. You are forever in my life, You see me through the seasons, cover me with Your hands, and lead me in Your righteousness. I was like Job, complaining and never listening to You. You kept quiet, waiting for me to stop complaining, to stop grumbling, to move from speaking to listening. And when I did, there You spoke. Oh, how little You spoke, but how powerful Your words. And Lord, I have learnt to trust Your sovereignty. To trust You in Your death and resurrection. To know that Your foolishness is wiser than my wisdom. Oh Lord my God, how wonderful Your name is. No love greater than this, the love of my Father God to me. And in You I find my peace, in You I find my strength. In You I find myself, my self-worth, my everything. And I know that I am not defined by the things of this world, not by my failings or successes. I am defined by You, and You said that I was fearfully and wonderfully made. I am nothing Lord without Your grace. Let everything I say and do be founded by my faith in You. In Your sovereignty, Lord, I put my trust. And I am confident that You will never fail me, because You have never did.


Draw me close to You
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear You say that I'm Your friend

You are my desire
No one else will do
'Cause nothing else could take Your place
To feel the warmth of Your embrace
Help me find the way
Bring me back to You

You're all I want
You're all I've ever needed
You're all I want
Help me know You are near

I Will Go

You've called me to places I can't see
Lord open my eyes
You've called me to people I can't reach
Lord stir within me
A hunger to see Your Kingdom come
A passion for Your will to be done

Give me a heart for this generation
Set me apart for Your great commission

And I will go
Wherever You lead I will follow
And I have counted the cost
I will carry the cross
So take my hands
All that I have they are Yours
And You have laid out my course
I will live for this cause

Heaven and Earth will pass away
But Jesus You're eternal
Kings and their kingdoms will fall one day
But Your glory's forever
All of creation will bow to You
The time will come for all to see
God You reign

No turning back
No turning back
And I will follow
No turning back
No turning back
And I will carry the cross
No turning back
No turning back
No turning back
And I will live for this cause

Lord You have spoken, and I will heed Your voice. I'm not fighting, I can't and I shouldn't. You've called me, this is my response: I'll go. No turning back, because I know that anyone who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for service in the Kingdom of God. And so I'll go, Lord lead me. I know this is not about where I'll be after O's whatsoever, but where I'll be for the rest of my life. It doesn't matter, because You Lord hold my world in the palm of Your hand.