Cambodia

Went for prayer meeting tonight and when we broke up into different groups to pray for different nations, i decided to join the group praying for Cambodia.. i saw the little writeup on the board which talked about cambodia's economy being driven by economic aid and sin.. pornography, prostitution, drugs and illegal logging.. then the article also talked about the many girls involved in prostitution.. 500 000 of them if i remember correctly.. i was just weeping before the Lord and upholding them in prayer.. i guess it's in countries like these that it becomes all the more obvious for us to see the need for God to heal the land... my heart was just so broken especially for those girls sold put into prostitution...

And in the light of all this, i don't see the point of why the church is still so comfortable.. so happy and contented playing church.. so nice and snug in their cosy little pews waiting for something to happen.. i wanna go to these places... i want to build as many orphanages as i can afford to take these girls in, educate and train them to be useful contributors to society, economy and the kingdom of God. and lemme tell you something about the AIDS crisis that has hit the nation because of all that activity.. i'm confident that now, in my little, imperfect 21-year old body, that when i go to Cambodia and conduct a healing crusade, that a good number of them are gonna be healed.. i'm not talking about a future ministry to the nations somewhere between time and the moment the prophetic word was released.. i'm talking now.. i'm talking kingdom reality and power now.. as it is in heaven.. now... Oh how i hate the "bless me" church! Where's the power of God? The whole world is crying out for a greater reality in the midst of great deception... i once heard a testimony about an ex satanist's view of the church.. when that person was still a satanist, they hated the church!! Why did they hate the church? The answer may surprise you.. cos the church was so powerless.. cos here they were wanting to be free from darkness and the church could do nothing.. satanists would come to some churches wanting to be free but would find fellow satanists that have infiltrated the membership, even the church board...

Ok.. back to cambodia.. i seriously believe that just as i am now, when i go there, He'll be able to demonstrate creative miracles through me.. cos that's the kind of God i serve and He's brought me to this place that i can believe Him for this.. not just me but everyone else who is willing and who dares to believe Him for His reality to clothe their humanity.. i wanna make the church jealous.. i wanna be a forerunner and messenger to them to show them what we're truly made for! God, just open doors...

Oh btw, before prayer meeting i took a short nap and i dreamt of something.. i saw people in a big auditorium worshipping and some were waving banners.. den the guy up front started asking those who were waving the banners to say something.. like their impressions or something.. then he pointed at this woman who was waving a rainbow-coloured banner and den she prophesied and said that God is raising up a generation of young people...

The Pursuit of what is Precious...

I took a nap this afternoon but before i actually slept i was just contemplating to myself certain things... many times, you come to a point in your walk with the Lord when you find that as you move and as you continue on, the lonelier it becomes... in many instances, it's hard for people to understand you and the pursuits of your heart cos they pursue different things...

When i awoke, it seemed that the Lord was answering me through an experience.. i felt as if the love of God was just covering me and enveloping me where everything else didn't matter but only Him and what He thinks.. It's hard to describe.. I felt as if i was literally in God's hands.. and in the stillness of the moment i knew that i was in Him.. that i didn't have to say any word at all but remaining in that place already means fellowship with Him.. it's experiencing His favour and love.. it's like as if the Lord was revealing to me a little bit of what it means to be complete in Him... and i won't trade that for anything...

Yesterday, i was pondering about how important it is for us to have the ability to discern spirits, discern the true nature of things... cos one of the primary ways that satan attacks in the area of temptation is through deception.. he wants to make the world look more valuable and desirable than what it really is.. but many of our pursuits are a lie.. the activities of the world are a lie.. what do they count for in eternity? the superficiality of materialism and "looking good".. the hype thereof even among God's people.. what's it all? a lie! it's nothing. .it's meaningless! I guess the fastest way for God to teach me to see in the Spirit is to realise how futile the world is and how fake the value of everything else that surrounds.. only then will i be totally consumed with the pursuit of what is truly precious...

are you able to tell what is precious from what is otherwise? the world tells us to buy our own identity... which cheapens us cos the Word of God tells us who we really are.. have you lost the ability to discern yourself and your true absolute value, regardless of how you look, what you wear or what kind of life you live? that makes you a candidate for the shaking so that what cannot be shaken will remain.. but the church hates the shaking! they think God is punishing them but all He wants to do is to bring us to a place when we're secure in Him and we dun buy any of those lies that the world feeds us! i'm just so frustrated at this existing world order and the worldliness within the church...

God i want a revolution!

Something Stupid

Last night i experienced another spiritual attack (ok here's the cue for those of you whose imaginations run wild and get scared easily)... Right in the middle of the night, my spiritual ears were open and i could hear a very disctinct music.. it wasn't coming from anywhere in the house or the neighbourhood.. the music was like some tribal music which i couldn't really make sense of.. it was kinda like Indian music to me cos i couldn't understand the words or the scale... Probably some withchcraft thing i presume...

Den i opened my eyes but i felt that there was an invisible force pushing from above me and making me feel so uncomfortable. It was like i couldn't move and i couldn't even turn in my bed. I wasn't afraid. I knew that it would only be a matter of time till it went away. I started praying and sooner than i expected, it left... which brings me to the question... why do they even bother?? like i mean i'm not scared and i'm not afected in any way.. any they know they can't win.. so why do they even bother??

Ubncle Jem told me once that demons are actually quite stupid.. (hmm.. not sure if that's the word he used..) looks like they're proving his point..

The Holy Spirit

I just wanna dedicate this post to my friend, the Holy Spirit.. cos He's so real to me and He's always there... Yesterday morning before going to school, i was just bombarded with so many things on my mind... like schoolwork, personal struggles, etc and it was really overwhelming me... so i took my guitar and began to just sing to Him and worship Him...

Den His presence came into the room and i just felt that Holy Spirit was there... He was there as a person.. He chooses to come.. And I could really feel Him there with me cos He's so real. He's not just some concept or some mystical wind that people talk about. He really exists! And He came to me as the Comforter and as i was there in that holy moment, He was just refreshing my soul and as i began to look to Him and keep my eyes off the things that overwhelm me, He was just filling me with peace and showing me that He is what really matters. Imperfect as i am, the Holy Spirit doesn't need to come and be my friend... cos He's God and He's holy.. But He chooses to, He wants to be there... and He promised never to leave me nor forsake me.. :) Then i just felt Him with me, watching me as i got ready to go to school..

That's how precious and how jealous God's love is! He's always there to make sure our paths are successful in our everyday lives. Cos He's for us! :) In the evening, the Holy Spirit was just teaching me how to use the sword of the Spirit.. and one of the things that we must learn about it is that He's always there and He'll never leave us nor forsake us just as how a solder has a good grip on the sword.. It never leaves his hand. In fact, the sword becomes part of the soldier when he goes to battle and he carries it wherever he goes. That's the secret to winning every spiritual battle. Having the Holy Spirit with us and allowing the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God to become part of us. By the Spirit we put to death the desires of the sinful nature. If the Spirit did mighty things through the saints of old who were under the old covenant, what more us who live under a better one!

God bless! :)

Nuggets of Truth

Ok.. let's see what's been happening...

On Thursday evening, as i was preparing for saturday's sharing, the Lord was just showing me certain things.. one of it was when Sojourners rise up and learn how to prophesy, how to reveal God's heart to other people, i saw this whole fire spread accross the youth to the other mission outposts of Salem in the nations... it's like having a chain effect and they're gonna get it as well...

The other thing that I sensed that God was doing is that He's doing something so revolutionary in the youth min that'll make youth min never the same again.. When we're finally learn how to access and reveal God's heart, we'll get there! ;) I saw a house on fire and it represents God bruning away and destroying all the traditionalist and religious mindsets cos He's building a church without walls.. if people refuse to get out of that house (those mindsets), they're gonna get burned with it! It's time to align ourselves with God's heart!

Then on Friday, went for gatekeepers and the Lord showed me a pearl in a clam (oyster??)... and i was reminded of how a pearl is formed.. it's when a little grain of sand enters the oyster and it starts getting irritated and irritated until layers of "saliva" form around that little grain of sand to produce something precious. And how does that little grain of sand get in there? When the oyster wants to move on from the seabed and not stay in one place, the garin gets in.. and likewise, we need to move on and not stay and camp in one place.. but as we move on, from there will come something precious.. we might get irritated and irritated along the way but it produces something valuable.. and the pearl speaks to me about us... a little grain of sand in our humanity but clothed with something that is divine and powerful- the very nature of God.. and out of it comes something precious and valuable... Cool huh? ;)

Saturday morning was spent in OCC rehearsing for the musical and i really thank God for the grace to see us through... Then went for lunch followed by youth service. Dot prayed for me and i felt the power of God come when she prayed for the double! Yes, God, I want it! :) Sunday was quite fruitful cos i got to talk with a few people and challenge them for God. It seems that one of the prayers that i've been praying over myself is getting answered! Shared at CC and it went well too. Really thank God for that cos really had so many things to do that i was barely prepared! Thank Him for His grace! I'm so glad to see so many of the CC kids wanting to be trained as intercessors! And by faith, i'm claiming that they're gonna be prophetic intercessors cos that's their inheritance! They're gonna start where we left off and carry on from there! :) One of my dreams is coming to pass liao! Was teaching Lele a bit today regarding the bearing when they're holding flags and that guy really picks up really fast! He does it quite well too! And the sound that we made when we waved half-shield in unison was terrific! :D

Watched "Hairspray" with a whole bunch of so many ppl today... and if there's one thing that i felt that the Holy Spirit was saying from the movie, it has something to do with the revolution the He wants to release.. get ready for the future! There's a worship revolution coming soon! Get ready! Jesus is coming!

God bless! :)

The Grace to Die

"For whosoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it." Matt 16 :25

The whole of today, the Lord was just teaching me about dying... I remember during the YAM retreat that the Lord was speaking something to me about the grace of yielding, the grace to die.. and it seems that He's carrying on the revelation of it...

When i woke up in the morning, I heard the Holy Spirit ask me "How much will you die for Jesus?" or something like that.. When i heard it, i knew that it was talking about something so much more than martyrdom.. i believe that i may well join their company one day but let's face it.. living a life for Jesus is way harder than dying for Him.. I've been claiming Galatians 2:20 over myself lately... and today, it seemed like He was really showing me what it means to die for Jesus...

I've come to realise that the more you die to yourself, your will, your plans, your desires, the more you have Jesus inside of you.. and i dun want to even just be 80% dead to self but fully surrendered to God. Recently, i read an article by Nita Johnson on the call of the believer to living in the fullness of Christ. When i die to myself, Jesus can then live His life through me and i can be complete in Him cos He's all-sufficient, not lacking in anything.. In Him, everything is Yes and Amen. Today, God was just showing me how to get to that place by yielding and dying and allowing God to fill me...

The entire day was just filled with situations.. When i was trying to get a taxi in the morning, the Holy Spirit was reminding me that there was no point getting angry. When i was upset over something i heard in the afternoon, the Holy Spirit was just reminding me that there's no point getting worried. When i finally saw that God's in control and allowed Him to have His way, i began to see how sufficient and complete i am in Him already.. :)

Then the Lord was highlighting some truth to me about fasting from the Bible. I never saw fasting that way before. Fasting is symbollic of dying cos a dead person doesn't need to eat or drink.. fasting talks about dying to the flesh.. and the way that Esther approached the king after having fasted for 3 days and nights show a pattern of how the Bride of Christ must die to herself and go through the same path that her Master did! And at the end of it is reward, is promotion, is the fulfillment of her prophetic destiny. That's where i want to go...

Then the Lord showed me that every temptation, every circumstance that is brought to us to provoke a reaction from us is an opportunity to die- and more than that- it is an opportunity to be filled with more of Christ! And that's the mindset we should adopt.. that's how we should see things! That's what it means by me decreasing and Him increasing! Cos as we are emptied of ourselves, there's more space for us to have more of God in our lives! Many of us cry out "God we want more of You!" but we gotta pay the price and it's called dying...

Then when i got home, while i was meditating and praying Ephesians 1:17... God was showing me this truth further.. cos God wants the eyes of our heart to be open so that we may know the hope of His calling.. He wants us to see Jesus.. He's the hope of our calling! Our goal is Christ! He is the fullness of God in man and we are pre-destined to be conformed to His image... He is the image of the invisible God full of grace and truth.. He is the hope of glory. And as our eyes are open to behold Him, we are changed to be like Him. It's like looking in a mirror and knowing who you truly are, who God truly made you to be- just like Jesus! And God has His glorious inheritance in us- His investment in us- that is, the potential to be all of who Christ is and having the fullness of Him in us as the fullness of God is in Him! And God has given power to those who belive to take them from the very pit of their circumstances, from the bottom of their despair and discouragement, to a place of being seated with Christ in heavenly places, a place of ruling and reigning, a place of authority.. He's seated on the highest place and we're seated with Him! That's a victorious place, a place where we can see everything, including our own circumstances, from God's holy and divine perspective..

and we begin to see every trial as an opportunity, a stepping stone to glory, one step closer to our ultimate goal of having all of Christ in us as we empty ourselves before Him! I believe that the greatest form of worship is being who created us to be... just like Jesus! :)

More of You!

The Vision of Sin

The Lord was teaching me an important truth today regardig vision.. your vision is your life.. whatever you sow into your vision now, you'll reap it in the future, you'll live it out and walk in it in the future.. and this can be both good and bad... it can apply for your vision of destiny and having sight for the plans and purposes that God has for your life.. or it can also be applied for evil.. when the plans of wickedness start breeding in the human heart...

That's why somewhere in the book of Romans is an exhortation not to think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.. cos the vision for sin will lead to death.. it will lead to it being carried out eventually. The Lord taught me a great truth on friday- that vision is dead in itself but it becomes alive in a person.. it means that whatever plans that He has for us and releases to us, it's up to us to steward and run with them otherwise, they are dead in themselves.. but they become alive in us..

Likewise, when you talk about sin... A vision for sin is dead in itself.. and without a person to give life to that vision for sin, then sin has no power.. sin cannot be carried out or made manifest upon the earth.. but it needs a vehicle- the person..

I have come to realise that the soil in Matthew 13 represents the human heart.. it talks about how soft the human heart is and how ready it is for the seed of a godly vision to be planted, to take root, grow and be fruitful... but is the condition of our hearts, then, just right for the vision of sin to take root... is our heart more suitable for breeding weeds than wheat?? If our heart catches the vision of sin very easily then we must be careful... Jeremiah 17 says that the heart of man is wicked and deceitful...

The good news?? We can kill sin at the root by allowing God to change our hearts... The way to stop sin? Kill the vision of sin.. dun allow such a wicked vision to begin to ferment inside of us... Acknowledge the vision of sin for what it is and then die to it and surrender you heart to the Lord.. And ask God to heal your heart, heal the land so that it woun't be susceptible to the vision of sin.. Den ask Him to plant instead a vision of righteousness to take over all that ground... Allow His Word to sink in deep...

Remember that you're a work in progress, His workmanship created to do every good work that He has prepared in advance for you... He won't leave your heart for weeds to grow on... Cos there's soooooo much more that awaits! :)

God bless!

Today's Lessons

Last night, auntie ivy messaged me asking me to take over in her place to lead worship for wednesday prayer meeting today.. and i agreed... and as i was preparing for the session this morning, the Lord taught me a very important lesson... Now i've always been kinda complaining in my heart regarding the attitude of people during the prayer meeting cos it seems that they're usually very difficult to coax to open their mouth to worship God.. sometimes they just stare at you or close their eyes and truly only God knows whether they're truly engaging Him or simply attempting to look spiritual.. as Errol puts it, it's like "having ten walls"...

So anyway, as i was just seeking the Lord regarding the session, the Lord was showing me that i should be a blessing to them.. instead of going up there with that kind of attitude of like being a "worship specialist" and that kind of attitude that goes "i know what i'm doing.." kinda thing.. God wants me to be a blessing to them instead of just going out there attempting to "teach them a lesson or two about worship".. and tonight, there was a flow... maybe it wasn't really so much of the mighty stream that i've seen in some other meetings, but it's God nonetheless.. and i thank the Holy Spirit for bringing about that change and teaching me something valuable..

I repented of that attitude.. Pride had come in.. but thank God for pointing it out to me... So what else happened?? The feedback monitors are crazy cos apparently i could hardly hear myself when the congregation could hear me pretty well.. that's why i have a tendency of blowing the sound level out of proportion.. now, unlce ban toned everything down while i was playing and i seriously wasn't used to not hearing myself very well.. but then again, i concentrated on worshipping the Lord and the flow was there... usually i would get distracted but by God's grace i managed to stay focused.. :)

Tonight, God was challenging us to enlarge our vision and to increase our faith.. cos He's going to bring us to new places in Him where we've never been before... And many times, one obstacle to that is that we're so consumed with our individual situations that we fail to see just how BIG He is... One thing the Lord spoke to me today about the youth is to teach them to think and pray for the nation.. to have a larger perspective, not just their individual circumstances... When we learn to operate like that, how can God not move? :)

On my way home, i was just meditating on how good God is and all the things that He has done on the cross and i was just thinking about 2008.. and the Holy Spirit was impressing upon me that 2008 will be a year of blessing! :)

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! :)

A little more light...

He Will Come and Save You

Say to those who are fearful-hearted
Do not be afraid
The Lord your God is strong
With His loving arms
When you call on His Name
He will come and save

He will come and save you
He will come and save you
Say to the weary one
Your God will surely come
He will come and save you
He will come and save you
He will come and save you
Lift up your eyes to Him
You will arise again
He will come and save you

Say to those who are broken-hearted
Do not lose your faith
The Lord your God is strong
With His mighty arms
When you call on His Name
He will come and save

I really liked this song especially when i was younger but haven't been singing it lah so kinda forgot about it. But the Holy Spirit reminded me this song just now especially since i've been going through a lot of inner struggles and frustrations lately and it really ministered to me. I took a walk at Bishan Park this evening and just spent some time with the Lord and had a really refreshing time.. i wonder how Jesus managed to pray all night on top of the mountain or at Gethsemane for that matter.. cos the park was quite dark at night, even with the streetlamps.. maybe Jesus carried an oil lamp? Den how did it burn the entire night? Did he make the oil last longer? Did the disciples carry extra oil? Maybe he didn't need oil.. maybe the glory of God was enough light for Him... then again, He wouldn't need any light if He prayed with His eyes closed rite?

Ok that's beside the point... but the Lord was just showing me that the devil likes to attack our identity... the battle against sin and temptations that we always have to go through is the battle for our destiny- to see ourselves fully realised in Christ.. and guess wad... God is full committed to seeing our destinies come to pass, no matter how much we have failed Him in the past. In fact, one of the strategies of an overcomer is to remember our destiny in Him, who we are in Him, what we are made for.. that will propel us into the future and give us an incentive to lay aside all hindrances and distractions to pursue the call of God upon our lives! :)

Was just filled with His overwhelming love today... and how much boldness that gave me! And He gave me a little insight on the nature of my personal battles that shows me the importance of the outcome! Thank You, Jesus!

I love You, Jesus! :)

My PDA

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I was once lost but now am found
Was blind but now i see

Ok.. maybe my Pda wasn't exactly blind and neither can it now see... but it was surely lost and now it's found. And i really thank God for it. Here's the story... after the YAM retreat, i went to church and Sam, Sheng and I shared a cab. When i got into the sanctuary and i sat down, i realised that my PDA was missing from my pocket. I thought i might have left it in the chalet or maybe i dropped it in the taxi.

So after service, i decided to call the taxi company to file a report.. and alvin was telling me that he searched the chalet but couldn't find it which leaves me to wonder what had happened to it. Sam also told me he didn't spot anything on the taxi seat when he checked. So anyway, after service while i was talking to Sam about it, he seemed genuinely concerned lah.. but i just told him that i'll just go and send my angels after it.. when i went around saying that, i was met with a few tentative looks from certain rather skeptical saints... well i know my God better.. cos He listens to my prayers. And besides, i've heard some testimonies from all around about God restoring to people various items that they have lost anyway.. so i just committed it in prayer...

Then on monday, while i was on the bus on my way to school, i was praying and den i felt this little rectangular thing on the front pocket of my bag which was on my lap. And sure enough, when i opened it, it was my Pda inside waiting to be retrieved... So this then brings me to the question.. did i just happen to misplace it there inside my bag all along or was it really because an angel of the Lord brought it there??

I admit i was stumped myself, thinking about this issue. Here's some info that may help... I would usually leave all the things in my pocket in one place when i take them out and then put them back in the same place. When i was on the chalet i distinctly left my Pda together with a packet of tissue paper, my wallet and 2 bunch of keys on the dressing table. When i get ready for the day, i would usually put the wallet and both bunch of keys on my right front pocket and put my Pda and my phone on my left front pocket. Because it's so systematic, i would be able to tell if i forgot to put anything into my pockets.

Also, because i am used to having them in my pockets, i am used to feeling the weight and would usually know when one item is missing. I took a walk that morning... why didn't i notice my Pda missing then? Furthermore, when i checked my pockets after finding my Pda missing, i found my packet of tissue paper there.. since i had put them together earlier on, it would make sense for me to have placed them in the same pocket rite?

So what was my Pda doing in my bag?? I know that i wouldn't put it there usually. It's either cos probably i was being so absent-minded while packing my belongings that i stuffed my Pda there or because some angel deposited it there after retrieving it for me... I really dunno...

What i do know is that God was using this situation to teach me something significant. It's symbollic of the fact that He's gonna restore the lost youths back to Him.. that whole generation of Young Adults.. He's gonna restore them back! As it doesn't matter how i lost my Pda- whether i misplaced it in my bag or i dropped it somewhere, how these people got lost also wouldn't matter. What matters is that God's gonna bring them back again! Are they not of more value than these? :)

Hallelujah! ;)

Young Adults Retreat

Spent last weekend at Pasir Ris Park at YAM retreat and boy was it fun! :) Never had a retreat like that in ages.. haha... played in the park on the first night, stayed up late and played taboo and catan, had nice food and fellowship, and of course spent time in the presence of God!

On the first evening, Uncle Ban challenged us to believe God for our inheritance. He even showed us the plot of land at Sembawang that the church is believing God for. And inheritance means we dun have to start from scratch... cos out of the 10 million we need for that property, we already have at least 5 million from our present units! :) He shared the message I.P.O.- we need to recognise our Inheritance, Possess it by Prayer and Obey God.

Anyways, during that session, God was speaking to me personally about having the grace of yielding, the grace to die to my own will and my own desires... Den He was continuing the download He was giving me from the last YAM session i attended.. then, i felt that the Lord was saying that before He can reveal the vision, He needs to find people who are willing to run with it... Then on Friday evening, He was just showing me that He's not so much interested in the blueprint... He's interested in yielded hearts, He wants to change our hearts.. Vision is dead in itself but it becomes alive in a person, those who run with the vision. This is especially important as many of us have been sensing from the Lord the need for us to be Kingdom-minded... it's something that keeps on recurring over and over again for YAM whenever some of us pray for it. And we need people who are kingdom-minded, who have willing hearts for the things of God to run with the vision to see the ministry established.

The verse for the retreat was 2 Chronicles 7:14 and we went through that verse for morning devo.. as i was just reflecting on it and what it could mean to us, i was just reminded that as we humble ourselves, it was a way for God to fill us with the grace and truth that will spark the revolution upon society (see my previous post).. and the part about God healing our land. What is our land? Do we even wat it healed in the first place? The Isaraelites were a bunch of agrarian ppl. The land was their life. It's also a picture of ours. It reflects the condition of our hearts (matthew 13) and shows our propensity for nurturing a particular vision that is laid upon it... and how soft, ready and receptive our hearts are determine how fruitful that vision is.

The evening session went well.. actually at first before that i was just talking to JK and Dot concerning some stuff in ministry and i was kinda down over certain issues lah.. but when we entered into worship, the Holy Spirit was there, the presence of God was there and it compelled me to push these things aside, trade them for His joy and just worship Him and enjoy His presence there. Then the fire of God hit me and i started groaning from the depths of my spirit as a prayer. And the Lord was continuing some of the download i have been receiving...

I believe it was for the YAM though some are also for me... First point: We must believe our vision and what we have to say before we can pass it to someone else. If we don't really believe in it, how can we expect the other person to catch it.

Then i saw myself holding a torch (kinda like the ones you see during the olympics).. and God was just telling me about the torch of faith that our forefathers passed and now it is our turn to run with it, to run with the vision and then pass it to another...

Third point. We have to go up, we have to go to a higher place to receive that vision. We have to bring ourselves to the place where we can receive it...

Then i saw a banqueting table prepared. And i believe that it is the feast the Lord has prepared for us in His presence.. and everything was all set up and ready but the question was where are the people? The thing is that God wants to spend time with His people and everything is ready and it is the people who refuse to draw near, who are so reluctant to come... maybe they dun even know that a banquet has been prepared for them??

Then the Lord was reminding me the truth that those who are changed with fire and pass through it will become fire, will become that very substance that He is.. and thus will change the people/things around Him.. :)

As to how all this is applicable, i leave it to you to think about it and meditate on it.. ;)

We live in exciting times yeah?? :)

As it is in Heaven

Here are more insights for you to digest...

The new sound that the Lord is releasing is the sound of as it is inheaven.. cos it's all about His glory finding expression upon the earth. He did that with the very person of who Christ is and He wants to do it through us too (Romans 8:29). Our very person must become an expression of His glory and who He is. Jesus taught us to pray "Let Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" It's about heaven on earth, heaven finding it's expression on earth... and as God builds us as worshippers and embues us with His very nature, substance, love and character, we'll take the worship wars into the marketplace. There will be worshipping businessmen, worshipping politicians, worshipping scientists who will release a revelation of the glory of God in their fields that demands more worship to be given to Him who is worthy! These are the holy revolutionists that will span accross all ages. From the young to the old. No age or gender distinction. It's kingdom reality! The earth has yet to see Joel Chapter 2 being released into fullness upon the face of the earth! We are the altars, the gates of heaven through whom the very heart of God finds expression. And we'll see God in the music industry, God in the medical industry and as these places are filled with the very expression of heaven, we're gonna see multitudes of souls coming into the Kingdom! Hallelujah!

Another thing that God has been teaching me recently is on His nature that He is a Jealous God. How many times have we seen that aspect as God being so angry at our sins especially when our hearts turn away from Him to pursue other things? How many of us see the idea of a vengeful God who is just ready to strike us in judgment for our sins? Most of us would think that way... but let's see His perspective. Thugh it's true that He's jealous when we turn away from Him and turn to idols, how many of us see His jealous love? His love that will not let go.. A love so radical that you can't find anything like it on the face of the earth.. a love that will seek us out even if we have defiled ourselves (go and read the book of Hosea).. It's a Jealous love that is for us! It is a jealousy that is committed to seeing us reaching the fullness of our destiny. It is a jealous love that burns to see the destruction of our enemies- those strongholds that beset us and keep us away from Him! It is a jealous Love that does all it takes- even going from heaven to earth to hell and back- just to redeem a race of sinners. Wow! I'm glad God is a Jealous God! (Maybe we should sing more about it in our worship songs... our woship is so watered down nowadays...)

It's gonna be this jealous love that recognises what is so precious in something so filthy and takes it and brings out what is of value in it and then releases it into the world to become holy revolutionists, the very expression of God on earth! God was teaching me truths about receiving these holy revolutionists, these worshippers. Their expressions of worship are gonna be so radical and untamed by human religion that is reflective of the untamable and radical God they serve! Some churches may not even receive them but may persecute or suppress them. Let me tell you something. If a church does not receive these worshippers, the new sound of worship will bypass them, along with the blessings of a holy revolution that would accompany it. Cos Jesus said if you receive a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, you get a righteous man's reward. If you receive a prophet in the name of a prophet, you get a prophet's reward. If you receive a holy revolutionist in the name of a holy revolutionist, you get a holy revolutionist's reward... The only way to see the new form of worship is to embrace it's vessels. The only way to taste the new wine is to embrace the new wineskin. You can't have the present without accepting the package it comes in. This radical generation might offend the old... There is a new sound, a new cry of worship coming from the young people... If adults don't receive the young people, don't embrace their cry, despise them and not honour them, then the new sound will pass them by. If by political manipulations they try to hijack this new move of God, they won't be part of it! But if we receive this generation of radical worshippers, we receive the radical worship anointing that they come with! God is drawing a line in the sand! Not everyone may follow! Only those who are willing to embrace the vessels that carry the new move of God! Note that this is, however, no excuse for young worship revolutionists to be arrogant. It's only by God's grace, choice and sovereign will that we're part of this!

God has been teaching me certain things lately. He's given me a master key that would see the rise of every ministry in every church. The key is honour. If i'm gonna see the leaders under me rise up, i will have to honour them. I will not take them for granted but will recognise the grace and call of God upon their lives. This is like prophesying to them with the way i conduct myself before them. Even if they fail, i will still choose to honour them and let them know i believe in them because doing so would call out to that dream/spark/vision in them that would propel them to strive for excellence. The way i act towards them in honouring them is a reflection of their future calling out to them! "Pick yourself up!" "There's something bigger and greater that awaits!" And as i honour them, they will rise up! That's the very heart of fatherhood- seeing and believing that visions will be raised up in the person of a person even before it truly happens. Same goes for music ministry. Same goes for dance ministry. Same goes for people. Everyone wants to hear the words "i believe in you..." It's that voice of assurance. Honouring them will cause them to rise up. It will inject a sense of vision and calling unto them that would propel them forward! Just as how Abraham received a vision, a word of instruction and moved forward towards where God was calling him... And as we honour them, we receive them and everything they stand for, their future, the visions and dreams that they carry, the prophetic word invested in them that has not yet come to be. And as we sow into their lives, we are sowing into that vision and calling and are receiving them likewise. As we receive them, we are agreeing with them, adding our faith to them and thus paving the way for them to be realised!

God bless! :)

Who am I

Who am I

Who am i that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am i that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
In my ever-wandering heart

Not because of who i am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what i've done
But because of who You are

i am a flower quickly fading
here today and gone tomorrow
a wave tossed in the ocean
a vapour in the wind
still You hear me when i'm calling
Lord You catch me when i'm falling
And You told me who i am
i am Yours...

Who am i that the eys that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again
Who am i that the voice that calmed the sea
And called out through the rain
Would calm the storm in me

Just celebrated my 21st birthday recently and that means 21 years of God's unfailing love and faithfulnes upon my life. Through all those times even that i haven't been faithful to Him, He is still faithful for He cannot deny Himself... That's just how great His love is! (Thanks to all those ppl who sent me wishes, got me the mooncake and treated me to lunch.. :P)

Anyway just wanna talk about certain things that God has been teaching me lately... One is that I'm glad God does not receive us on our own terms but on His terms. Sometimes, even when we fail Him, He is still faithful and if we repent, we can come back to Him and experience His grace. If He were to receive us on our terms, we will come to Him being too hard on ourselves, trying to pay off our guilt and trying to put a price on His grace which is so precious that it's priceless. How many times have we come to Him expecting Him to do something or to meet us just because we practice the right spiritual disciplines, pray five hours a day, memorise twenty chapters a week, etc... But that's not the basis that He's gonna meet us.. He's gonna meet us cos Jesus has paved the way with His blood. Period. It's settled. I like how Edmund Chua puts it... many times our appeals in prayer are more consumed in the righteousness of the person in question rather than on the gace of God, rather than who He is. It's such a priviledge to come to Him, knowing who He is and praying it out. It takes the focus off ourselves and our own situations and brings us to where God is, to a revelation of His Person, his love and unfailing mercies...

One of the truths that I learned recently regarding communion is that when we do it in remembrance of Jesus, it does something to our faith too and adds to our knowledge of who we are in Him. Here's how it works: Our identity is tied to who He is cos He finds expression in us and it is the Father's will to conform us to His likeness. Therefore, when we remember Him, we remember who we truly are and what we are made for. And remembering that changes us.. it shows us ourselves in the light of who He is and as we see who we are in Him and who we can be, who He calls us to be, we are changed.. our future calls out to us... our faith rises up and we take our focus off our limitations and see what we can do because God is able to do it through us. As we celebrate Christ and remember Him as the One victorious ruler who died on the cross and rose again and is seated at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven, as we look to Him in drinking our cup and eating our bread, we remember ourselves, as more than conquerors is Him.. as those seated with Him in heavenly places.. as the ones to whom He has issued a call, an invitation to be His Bride, being one with Him.. Him in us and us in Him... Jesus raising His cup inviting us to drink from it is symbollic of His wedding invitation... It's a priviledged position cos He's elevating us... So as much as we remember Him during communion, we also remember who we are in Him and we celebrate that too... It's more than just symbollic... As faith is a real substance (Heb 11:1), the faith that rises in us as we hear and remember his call to intimacy is also real. And so is the pursuit that manifests in good works for the Kingdom that would glorify both our Father and Bridegroom.

The Lord has also been teaching me that the way to having grace and truth, the very substance that Jesus carried upon the earth that changed the places and people that He encountered, was through humility... God was showing me that there can be no John 1 without Philippians 2. I believe that many of us are going through a season where God is humbling us, where He is teaching us humility.. but humility is not an end in itself cos He's fashioning His vessels to carry grace and truth, to carry His very substance that would change planet earth! So take heart that the pruning process is only for a season.. cos the Lord is preparing us for a revolution!

God bless! :)

The Sound of the New Renaissance

Over dinner, Rayson brought up the topic of how people, young people die so suddenly.. like perhaps when one physically exerts himself and without any warning, loses his life moments later and so on.. and i think the conversation came to the place where we were wondering how come it was getting quite common.. actually i wasn't listening to the conversation then when he was bringing up the point but it seemed that it left a subconscious impact on me and in one of those "God-moments" i responded.. it was one of those moments where i was lost somewhere between my mind and my mouth and the anointing takes over and from being nowhere in the conversation, i interjected with an answer that i believe was from the heart of God. The reason why so many people increasingly lose their lives, especially at such a young age is because they lose their purpose and their goal in their lives. They find nothing in their very existence on earth and when faced with death before them, they let go cos they have nothing else to hold on to. Jesus willingly gave up His spirit on the cross before He died and my personal belief is that sometimes, we are left with that choice in the face of death- to either hold on or let go. But it's a sad yet true case that so many people today are living their lives without a purpose, merely travelling through the faceless sea of humanity and not even knowing the final destination where they'll end up. I believe that our purpose in life (or lack thereof) contributes to how long we spend our lives here on earth. For some, we lose them quickly because to them, there's nothing in this life worth holding on to...

Just now i was pondering the new worship movement that God wants to release and there were certain things that came to me. Jesus changed the world in His day as He walked among men because He embodied the very glory of God full of grace and truth. Wherever He went, wherever that grace and truth went, it left behind an imprint among the people of His day and culture. He taught revolutionary things unheard of in His time. He changed the very course of history and the places and people He visited were radically changed. That's what grace and truth does. It pierces all the deception and empty traditions of religion to establish what is real. And people in our day are looking for something real. They're seeking- or rather God is seeking them. Has it ever occured to you to pray for God to fill us with that same grace and truth that would shake every place our feet step on and we proceed from there leaving behind an irreversible imprint of a holy revolution? Can we be filled to such a measure of grace and truth that wherever we go, people and places are never the same again?

When this new worship revolution is released, that's what's going to happen. I felt the Holy Spirit showing me that this worship movement is going to change the very social fabric of Singapore! Now, pause, breathe deeply and think about the implications of this. Now we live in a Singapore peppered with lonely young people. Despite belonging to a family unit, they fail to find their bearing in the rest of society and the world. They don't relate well with their siblings and their parents, who hardly talk to them if they're even ever around in the first place. Because of that loose connection or even lack thereof, they lack a sense of identity, a sense of belonging, a sense of personal and spiritual bearing in the world around them. They lack a sense of purpose, groping around in the dark for truth. Should they face the threat of death, there's no reason for them to hold onto this world, or even to their family members they so hardly know. They mix around well with their peers who are just as clueless about their own identities. Together, they turn to every form of temporary relief that Singapore society can provide just to pass their time on earth in an attempt to fill that gaping hole in their hearts and turn their attention from that real issue of finding their purpose in life and seeking what they truly need. They stay away from home and turn to television, movies, computer games, relationships, career, culture, technology, everything that society can give them just to make them forget that they exist. This is their song, their cry...

But i hear the sound of love rising from among God's people. It's a sound that proceeds from the very heart of God that calls out to this fatherless generation. "They are Mine!"... These very people will turn to the Lord. They have the priviledge of calling Him "Father". From there will come their sense of purpose, their sense of identity and their bearing on society. I see a new generation building meaningful relationships with one-another and with their parents. One of the things that we're gonna see in this revival and in this new worship wineskin is the restoration of the family unit. What makes the church that Christ instituted so revolutionary is that the God that they were once so blinded to, they call "Father" and those who were once strangers they call "brothers", even if they belong to another tribe and tongue... No longer will families stay silent but they will engage one-another. It's going to break the self-centred apathy-laden culture of this nation. The very social fabric is going to change... once this generation grasps their identity, who they're truly made for. "I in you and you in Me". And they're gonna pass down the truth of the kingdom to the next generation, giving them a sense of identity and hope. That's what God has purposed when He meant He wants godly offspring! In the midst of a globalised society and economy, Singapore is poised for a Renaissance movement much like what happened in 18th century Europe. And this generation is what is going to make or break this Renaissance. Singapore is blessed with a great media industry, a creative voice and many social tools that would set this Renaissance in place. But what kind of music do we want this generation to play? The sound of destruction? The sound saying that there is no life, no purpose and no God? NO! They're gonna play the sound of hope, the sound of heaven, the creative expression of God's heart that's going to overtake the media and ever other aspect of society! It all begins when they find out who they are! No longer are they going to be ruled by television, movies, computer games, relationships, career, cuture and technology. Rather, they are going to seize these areas for the kingdom of God and release a sound therein proclaiming Jesus as Lord! They are going to release the sound as an expression of the very heartbeat of God in these areas and they're gonna say "This is what I'm made for!". They're going to be filled with a sense of hope and a sense of destiny!

If we think that the coming revival and the coming worship movement will look like in the past, we'd better be prepared for God to make us think again. He's doing something new, imbuing peole with a sense of purpose. The coming revival and new worship movement will change the way Singapore society functions. There will be creative expressions of the heart of God released into the family, into the church and into the marketplace! The people of God are going to deliver these creative expressions wherever God places them! Singapore is poised for a new Renaissance but in Jesus' Name, it's not gonna be a godless expression of humanism and worldliness but of the very heartbeat of God! Singapore is not going to be just another "little red dot" on the world map! This is going to have global impact! And the key lies with reaching this very generation for they are going to be the movers and shakers of this society and of future generations!

Hallelujah!