I don't feel like praying or reading the Bible today

Romans 8:26-27

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

I came back from Batam yesterday all fired up spiritually - refreshed and excited for the works of the Lord. And definitely, I was expecting myself to be able to take on anything that comes my way in the new week ahead.

But that didn't happen....

• This morning I woke up with a bad headache...
• I reached office and realised I have 3 voice messages awaiting my attention...
• I opened my email and discovered I have 40 plus emails to read and attend to...
• I have to conduct a workshop tonight in a school..

All these totally affected my mood, and not to mention even my mood in reading the Bible. Whatever I read somehow just didn't sink into me. I just couldn't conjure up the mood to pray - I was lost for words in prayer.

Do you feel like this too sometimes / many times?

What happened next was definitely God's work. I started praying in tongues. At first it started off really very lethargically (almost like dragging my feet).. but I literally forced myself to keep praying and I opened up the Bible and started reading through Romans as I prayed.

I began to realize that the more I prayed and read the Word, the more energized in my Spirit I became.

My attention started to switch - from the problems and challenges I face or anticipated to God!

Suddenly, the above scripture caught my attention! Somehow I have no words to express myself, but when I prayed in the Spirit, I was able to connect to God. It definitely has to be the works of the Holy Spirit connecting us!

What illuminated my mind next was the scripture onwards in Romans 8:28-38

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We can be conquerors in Christ not because we are capable and can handle many things. Neither is it because we are smart and can be very efficient in the work give to us. We also also not stupid and lousy because we cannot complete our work!

We are conquerors because WE LOVE GOD (vs. 28) & HE LOVES US (vs. 37)!! And when we choose to love God, our focus and attention is on Him and not on the worries and problems we face. And that gives us that boost to go about facing these challenges because we know (in our minds, hearts and spirit) that GOD IS WITH US!!

My problems will still be there at the end of the day and I will have to bite the bullet and go through them. But what sets me apart and that I won't crumble nor be crippled is that I can cling onto God! My assurance is in the love of God who will NEVER leave me!

When I go through the trials and challenges, HE IS WITH ME!

Now, that's more important that just hoping that my problems disappear.

Thank you Lord for teaching me this precious truth today!

History Maker

1 Corinthians 9:19-27

19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

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What does it take to be a History Maker?

1. Serve in Humility (vs 19)
2. Desperate / Desire to make Impact (vs 22)
3. Trained with Sharpened Skill Sets (vs 25)
4. Focused & Not Distracted (vs 26)
5. Perseverance & Endurance (vs 27a)
   
6. Always stays close to Jesus (vs 27b)
   
7. Willing to lay his life on the line (vs 19-23)

HISTORY MAKER (by Delirious?)

Is it true today that when people pray
Cloudless skies will break
Kings and queens will shake
Yes it's true and I believe it
I'm living for you

Is it true today that when people pray
We'll see dead men rise
And the blind set free
Yes it's true and I believe it
I'm living for you

I'm gonna be a history maker in this land
I'm gonna be a speaker of truth to all mankind
I'm gonna stand, I'm gonna run
Into your arms, into your arms again
Into your arms, into your arms again

Well it's true today that when people stand
With the fire of God, and the truth in hand
We'll see miracles, we'll see angels sing
We'll see broken hearts making history
Yes it's true and I believe it
We're living for you

40 Days Prayer & Fast - Day 10

Ezra 8:22-23
I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him." So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

Nehemiah 1:3-4
They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

Daniel 9:2-3
in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

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Since the Lord convicted my heart of unbelief during the G12 Conference, I decided to go into a season of 40 Days Prayer & Fast (12 hours a day, from 6am to 6pm) for two reasons:

1. A transformation of my heart to believe God again that He can use me
I must admit for two years, I have lost the alignment and heart in believing God in the vision, for the 12, 144 and the multitudes. Disappointments, failures and not seeing any fruits the past two years have caused me to lose that belief that God can use me. I need a change of heart.

2. Believing God for breakthroughs in the lives of my disciples
It has been heart wrenching seeing some of my disciples struggling in the same old cycle of sin and defeatedness. I tried all my human ways (advice, encouragements, challenging..etc), but there just isn't any breakthrough. I've come to a point of realization that only God can bring the change. Thus I decide to fast and pray for my disciples - believing God for a breakthrough in every single one of their lives in these 40 days. Even if they do nothing about it, I am believing God to do something about it that will change their lives.

Today is Day 10 of 40 Days of Prayer & Fast. Has it been easy? NO... Definitely not easy!

But I am channeling that physical hunger to desperate urgency in pray and petition to the Lord. I have witnessed many changes happening since I started...

1. A new zeal, thirst, understanding and revelation on the Word (I am reading the Word more than ever before these days)

2. I can feel a difference in my prayer life. Definitely more empowered, knowing that the power comes from the Lord and not my own words and wisdom.

3. Am seeing breakthrough in some of my disciples lives as they come forth to share certain deep struggles they faced. Praise the Lord!

I do not share this to boast of what I am embarking on.. but to seek your partnership in prayer and accountability. It means and encourages me a lot to have the spiritual family's encouragement and support on this journey. =D

Hey!!! Its time to pray!!!

Dear family, VaZe here to bring a message...

I believe that from the G12 conference, pastor's sermon, EJ/AO's message, and my personal walk that PRAYER is the ultimate importance as a Christian...

I can quote numerous scriptures to support why we need to pray and I'm sure u are able to...
But right now, its really important to pray for our brothers and sisters in the combined cell... Yeah, you heard correctly... Sisters as well...

As i fellowshipped with the members of the combined cell, I can really see that Julee's girls are taxed and stretched in this particular season...

144 level - mainly common tests, schoolwork overload
Hui Yu - Studies for A levels (Its not easy, trust me)
Joadine - Final exams in month of May
Michelle & Si Jia - Lab report
Jocelyn - Final exams in april or may.... Plenty of work to rush nw...
Olivia - Schoolwork in JC (its tough being a JC student, trust me a 2nd time)
*
* Dear other Julee girls, sorry, its beyond my ability to know wats going on in every person's life *

Guys side:

Johnathan - Plenty of training in camp, flying to Taiwan soon for further training
Jasper - India "vacation" sponsored by SAF
Hafiz - Family persecution for his faith in God
Wayne - Attachment to some company, may be quite xiong
Jaren - Church choir, teaching as a part time job... (its tough to be a free man from army as well)

Of course... Please feel free to add to this prayer list your requests so that we can pray for all...

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

The reality of life... How much we really need to hear God?

Hello its me Vaze... Having bloc leave till 22nd this month...

I listened to Casting Crowns - East to West track and one of the phrase which strucks me was "time and time again your truth is drowned out by the storms I'm in" Brothers.. Do we also face the same problem that the words of the world speaks louder than the words of God? Do we also the same struggle of remembering the sermon just 5 working days after pastor preaches it?

I realized from the 1st day since i become God's man is that its super super easy to let the words & things of the world distract and silences God's word to us... Even as G12 comes to a close this year, one thing that i keep reminding myself is to remember as much of teachings of the pastors...

I'm very sure that by now, I couldn't emphasize more on "why we need to hear from God", the understanding of the Word that brings strength, hope, faith to last us each day... But now.. Let me give u some handles to remember God's Word...

Remembering God's Word is more or less a man-made effort...
- Prayer
- Discipline

1. Prayer:
For me to remember God's Word through prayer... I will always pray before pastor preach and before quiet time... To ask God for revelation of His Word, to guard the Word in my heart, to send the Holy Ghost to help me to recall His Word in the tough times... I will also give thanks to God for His Word, and even recite the Word back to God by heart as an prophetic act of applying wat i learn

2. Discipline
To remember God's Word thru discipline, u jus have to find all the possible human ways to do it... For me, i have to make all effort to do it... Copy down the scripture from the bible into my devotional book, then memorizing it word for word... Even have to recite it when i'm on the move... Periodically give myself some memory tests to really see if I can memorize the verse completely or nt... Most impt, I need to learn to PAUSE & THINK during my tough times so that I can try to recall my memorized verses...

Afterall... all I can say is that its always part man - part God that helps to work... Do make an effort to recall God's Word, so that in times of trouble and overhwhelming situations, God's Word will speak louder than the world's!!

To end... I will put up the lyrics by Casting Crowns here... Here wat they say and try to connect with them....

1st stanza:
Here I am Lord and I'm drowning In your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me I yearn for peace and rest
I don't want to end up where you found me
And it echoes in my mind, Keeps me awake tonight

2nd stanza:
I know you've cast my sins as far As the East is from the West
And I stand before you now As though I've never sinned
but today I feel like I'm just one mistake away
From you leaving me this way

Chorus:
Jesus can you show me Just how far the East is from the West
Cause I can't bear to see the man I've been
Come rising up in me again
In the arms of your mercy I find rest
Cause you know just how far the East is from the West
From one scarred hand to the other

3rd stanza
I start the day the war begins
Endless reminding of my sin
Time and time again Your Truth is drowned out by the storm I'm in
Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away
From you leaving me this way

intermission:
I know you've washed me white
Turned my darkness into light
I need your peace to get me through
To get me through this night
I can't live by what I feel
But by the truth your word reveals
I'm not holding on to you
But you're holding on to me
Your holding on to me....

Watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyoVJfADlwo

Repentance = Guilt & Shame?

Hi guys decided to make my thoughts from G12 be visualised and i wish to share with you guys!!!! Hope those who were not there to hear my sharing will read this and be of blessing to you !!!!

Repentance

After listening from Ps Caesar about the blood of the cross so many times. It dawned on me that we have to go to the foot of the cross with true repentance in our hearts!
When we speak of repentance, naturally what that comes to our mind is that it brings out the emotions of guilt & shame. It's natural and perfectly humane for us to have the sense of guilt and shame. We have the feeling of guilt and shame because we realise that we have sinned and we are sorry about the things which we have done.

Guilt and shame is only the realisation of sin. A kid three years of age will also feel guilt and shame when they are reprimanded for their wrongdoing. Pastor too also highlighted the pro-long feeling of gulit and shame are also the evil-doings of the devil.

What devil job is to grasp us by our sins and manipulate us away from God. True repentance comes only when we apply the blood of Jesus upon our sins and let Jesus be the one who receive the affliction for he is the only pure sacrificial that God accepts.

True repentance comes from the liberation from the guilt and shame from our sins.
Romans 8:1-2
"Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."

Thus it is clearly stated that there are are no condemnation from Jesus and we have been set-free from the law of sin and John 3:17 once again emphasises on that:
John 3:17
" For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

So how do we identify that we are truly repented of our sins???
In a pslams so beautifully written it is states about the forgiveness of sins
Pslam 85:10
"Love and faithfullness meets together; righteouness and peace kiss each other"
It is so clearly stated righteousness and peace kiss each other. When we surrender our sins to Jesus, his blood has washed against our sins to give us a spirit of righteouness. Hence if righteouness and peace kiss each other, when Jesus reinstate our righteousness we will gain peace.

Thus all brothers are we seeking peace from the Lord for the forgiveness of our sins or are we choosing to dwell in the lies of the devil and live in the pains of all the guilt and shame that shackles us down to sins again and again.

My prayer to the spiritual family is that we will have eternal peace with the Lord, seeking to be transparent to Lord our God and not choosing to live in the guilt and shame of sins. Amen!

Bobby

See You Later, Alligator (part 2)

(Woah.. Didn't know I will have time for part 2)

My bags are packed and I'm a nervous rack. haha.

Do keep me in prayers guys :

1) Health
2) Safety
3) Peace of mind - yeah, this trip also serve as a retreat for me to pray and seek the Lord in the many areas of my life. e.g : Sign on?? Ministry.. A soul searching trip I would say. haha.

So take care family!

Peace yo!!
Jasper Bro!! =D

See you later, Alligator!

Take care Family! Enjoy and recieve maximum for the G12 conferences ya!!

Anyways, Dun try to be funny ar..

See ya!

Jasper Bro!!

Oh my...

NOOOO!!!

Corny Joggy

Hey familia, here's some thoughts that I penned down as i reflected on my early morning (YES 6.15AM) jog earlier today while i was taking a looooooooong bus trip home from town :S

As I was having a rather long jog early in the morning, the initial half was but a breeze, however, the second half of the jog, became an arduous one.

Things like being drained out, having my shoelaces out, and losing grip of my music player were some reasons to it. And at a certain point, I told God that i will run faster (garang), and not slow down, however, i still slowed down near the end point.

As I pondered in my thoughts while running, i thought, "Isn't this the same as the Christian journey?"

Being drained out is due to the fact that we have not paced ourselves properly, and have overwhelmed our limitations.

As I was looking at my shoelaces, I thought of stopping to tie my shoelaces, however, I realized that, if i had to tie them, I would need to stop, and I would thus lose my jogging momentum and will get drained out even more quickly, and another thought came into me,
"What if my shoelaces get hooked onto something and i were to fall?"
However, with assurance from God that i nothing would happen to me, I continued running, at the same time, ensuring that i would avoid any objects that might entangle the shoelaces.

It dawned upon me that, that is just like obstacles in our lives. And that the best way to deal with it is to keep moving forward without allowing ourselves to be stumbled by it, and in fact, we should run by faith and keep trusting God! However, do keep the obstacle in view, and NOT let it cause us to fall.

Losing grip of my music player is not much of a problem, however, somehow, it was yet so significant. The 'problem' of losing grip of it could be solved while i was running, and it signifies the sharing of a burden.
An idiotproof way of explaining it, would be that, if you lose grip of your music player while holding it on your right hand, you either use your left hand to push it back up, or use your left hand to take it away from your right hand. Simple right?
This shows the left hand helping the right hand.
Just as we are all part of a single body in Christ, we are different parts too. We ought to help one another when the burden becomes too heavy for either party to bear!

Finally (YES FINALLEEEEEE), as i reluctantly slowed down at the last moments of the jog, due to excruciating stitch pains, intense muscle aches, and having a hard time catching my breath, it was revealed to me that no matter how strong our will, ultimately, we are still but imperfect beings.
"The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Matthew 26:41b

However, the most important fact on this is that, God knows it, and being ever so gracious, He will forgive us when we fail to uphold to our words, and in fact, He has given us His Spirit to be our counselor, and to empower us to do great and mighty things to glorify His name.

Love,
Cornelius :D

Good online free guitar lessons!!

Well guys, though Alvin's basic classes have ended, your guitar lesson doesnt end there. I've found a pretty good link for the song we have learnt: Open the eyes of my heart. Guitarist is Daniel Choo and I feel he's pretty gd with his skills and vocals. Well, it was him that i learnt my Jesus Lover of my soul from. So guys, if u're keen to learn more, u can visit the links below. He also does have other melodious pieces as well.

Link for Open the eyes of my heart:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWHXzxbCYj8

instructional video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF8k7ta1zw4&feature=related

Entire Library of videos of Daniel Choo b found at:
http://grahamchoo.blogspot.com

ENJOY!!!

A-B-C Guide to Success in Life

In my Junior College days, I was one of the top Ten-Pin bowler chalking an average of 200 PPG (points-per-game). I trained hard and my dream was to one day win an Open competition and be part of the Singapore National Bowling Team.

In the first year of my National Service, I crack-fractured my right wrist (my master hand) during the Standard Obstacle Course (SOC) test. I went through 1 year of physiotherapy and rehab, but never able to carry heavy stuff using my right hand again. I was downgraded to PES C1L2 and I was never able to take part in competitive bowling again. [Reality strikes and my world just collaspe around me... it's a lousy feeling. ]

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In my university days, I was an avid sportsman. I played soccer, basketball, soccer, squash and almost any ball games. In January 2006 during my Masters' studies, I had a freak accident on a rainy day. I slipped, fell and sprained my right ankle (my master foot)really badly. I was out of sports action for almost 6 months, unable to do even light jogging. [I felt really lousy about myself.]

During the 6 months, I went through intensive rehab and physiotherapy (up to 2-3 times a week, sweating like a madman at every physio session!). In November - December 2006, I took part in a 100KM walkathon, climbed the 72-storey Vertical Marathon @ Swissotel and completed the 42KM Singapore Marathon.

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During my Masters' studies in Bioengineering (2004 - 2006), I was required to take Biology subjects, understand Biology concepts and theories, write reports and do up presentations on them. These were a major challenge for me as I have never ever taken Biology before in my life!

I mugged, studied, burned midnight oil studying and preparing for every single homework, test, exams and presentation. This is on top of being a cell leader and serving in church.

In end-2007, I was conferred my Masters' Degree in Engineering. Together with it, I had three conference presentations, two journal papers, and one patent application to my name. I just collected my Masters' Degree graduation certificate this week. *All Smiles*

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Success in life doesn't mean having a glamourous lifestyle, great achievements, nor popular and accepted by people. All these are good and important things in life. BUT... Is that how you really would define Success?

To me, the A-B-C guide to Success is:

1. Able to star at every challenges that comes in life and see the opportunity for growth.
2. Being able to bounce back from defeats and failures in life - having a never-say-die attitude.
3. Choosing not to compare and envy the people around you, but follow your principles, values and convictions of life.

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves. - Psalm 127:1-2 (NIV)

Unless we learn to put God as central in the area of our work / studies, else we will always be toiling and struggling with the affairs of the world.

Sunny Day Or Rainy Days Christians

Rainy Days?
Sunny Days?

________________________

Rainy Day or Sunny Day christians? Give it a little thought. Are we Sunny day christians? Shining bright and praising God only in Good times or Are we Rainy Day christians? Resilient and Determined giving praise and shining for God in times of test.

I personally would want to be a Rainy Day Christian. It's easy to be a Sunny Day Christian. Praising God and shining outwardly during good times. But life isn't always a bed of roses.
John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

We a lord that is a overcomer of these troubled times ! Yes overcomer, this means that troubles will still come but we have a Lord in which we can depend to overcome it!

But this doesn't mean that when thunderstorm comes, we will be supernaturally sheltered from it. Our faith in the Lord is just like an umbrella in times like these, if we have a weak faith in the Lord, we will be like holding a very small umbrella, though sheltered from the rain, we will be eventually drenched from the heavy downpour in the long run.
But if our faith and believe in the Lord is strong, we would be carrying a huge umbrella being better sheltered from all the coming downpour.
Hebrews 4:12
"For the word of the Lord is living and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Thus we should meditate and heep the word of the Lord close to our hearts so that our hearts and attitides will be aligned to that of christ, so that we can take challenges face with the wisdom of the Lord.

Brothers, we are living in times where rainy days are predominant over the sunny days thus let's us be determined in believing God words and doing things God's way!!!

Bob

Feeling vs. Facts

"... we learn to live not by our feelings about God but by the facts. I refuse to believe my depressions; I choose to believe in God. If I break my leg I do not become less a person. My wife and children do not repudiate me. Neither when my faith fractures or my feelings bruise does God cast me off and reject me.

My feelings are important for many things. They are essential and valuable. They keep me aware of much that is true and real. But they tell me next to nothing about God or my relation to God. My security comes from who God is, not from how I feel. Discipleship is a decision to live by what I know about God, not by what I feel about him or myself or my neighbours." - Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

WHO IS GOD TO YOU?

Hold on to those truths and facts about God and what He has done for you; and DO NOT let your feelings and emotions mislead you. And CHOOSE to live your life based on those facts, NOT feelings!

Those who trust in God are like Zion Mountain: Nothing can move it, a rock-solid mountain you can always depend on. Mountains encircle Jerusalem, and God encircles his people — always has and always will. The fist of the wicked will never violate what is due the righteous, provoking wrongful violence. Be good to your good people, God, to those whose hearts are right! God will round up the backsliders, corral them with the incorrigibles. Peace over Israel! - Psalm 125 (The Message)