Fighting our Battle!!

Ephesians 6:10-12

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Today’s devotion was especially apt for me! Sometimes I really feel beaten and defeated that I become so focused on the troubles instead of focusing on God. Satan uses doubt (just like he planted a seed of doubt in Eve’s mind); daily distractions like the TV, hp, computer and Internets, games, shopping, and whatsoever to change our focus from the Word to things with no eternal value; things to disable us from the Lord’s service like making us feel unappreciated and discouraged; and even to destroy us physically like attacking our bodies, planting sickness, addictions, stress, and even unhappiness with our own bodies to make us focus on our bodies, rather than spiritual things.

Whatever I’ve mentioned above, I can readily identify with… coz I’m weak… I fall into every area of weakness possible! Sigh…even today, when I woke up with my right eye the size of a ping pong ball, I felt weak and useless, and couldn’t bring myself to go out and meet the rest of the world. Things like discouragement and all, I feel it too!

The thing is, Satan wants to make us be useless in our daily battles, looking for ways to destroy us. But don’t let him! Let’s keep our spiritual eyes open so that we can help each other keep watch for the enemy’s skillful, devious attacks. Most importantly, place your dependence on God’s Spirit! =)

Ohana, let’s jia you k! Keeping all of you in prayer! =)

Pls pray for me too? I don’t like ping pongs… especially when it’s on my eye! Haa… thanks! =)

Fix Your Eyes on God!

Numbers 20:1-13

Sorry for not having shared my Friday’s devotion. I found the word a lil too hard to digest, hard to share. But still, I’ll share it for today ya?

Well, you can see that Moses was frustrated with the Hebrews people. They were so hard-hearted and weak in their faith that Moses lost his patience and was angry with them. And his frustration at the people made him commit the same sin as the people who blatantly disobeyed God’s instructions. When Moses shifted his focus away from God, it cost him the opportunity to enter the Promised Land as well. Moses had allowed his attention to shift to the behaviour of others rather than focusing on the activity of God.

Similarly, I felt that I had allowed myself to shift my focus to the behaviour of people, their weaknesses, disobedience, lack of faith, stubbornness that it had frustrated me so much. And in doing so, I have already committed the very sins I condemned. And i feel terrible that like Moses, it might cause the whole tribe to miss entering the Promised Land! =(

The only way is really.... to fix your eyes on the Lord!

Lord, help me fix my eyes on You– your gracious, forgiving, long-suffering, righteous and ever-loving self, that I may learn to grow to become more like You, because I know I am far from perfect! Help me to turn to you immediately each time I struggle, that I may seek to discern what You want to do in their lives rather than concentrating on the sins, so that I will be able to have the strength, wisdom, and patience I need to help people the way You desire!

Choosing God over Success!

Exodus 33:12-15

15 Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.

I envy Moses. Moses knew exactly what he wanted. He chose his relationship with God over accomplishments. In contrast, the Isrealites chose a different path. God offered an angel with them as they entered the Promised Land to ensure their success in every venture. No army or city wall could stop them, and everything that they ever dreamed of seemed to be theirs to take. Yet, the only thing missing was the presence of God. They were obstinate, and God said that he would not go with them when their hearts were far from him.

It really shows that victory and great accomplishments are not necessarily a sign of God’s presence. To me, it was really like new revelation. I always thought that these are like blessings in which reflects God’s blessings. But today, I learnt that people can still inadvertently choose success over their walk with God.

And Moses wisely put across that success, no matter how great, is not a substitute for fellowship with God. Worldly achievements, success, power, wealth can be attained and can be lost easily and quickly too. Security comes from our relationship with God, and not any substitutes.
Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about my future, whether I can get a good job with good career prospects that pays well, and allow me to save up for you know, marriage, a car, and many others. And the more I dwell on it, I seem to have taken God out of the picture. I can only hear myself saying, ‘oh God, you know I need all these. Help me!’

It's really hard to be like Moses, coz it's so easy to lose focus on what you started out with initially. It may be with good intentions… but the chasing of these accomplishments has set my focus far from God’s plans. Today I learnt that valuing God’s presence is indeed far better than any of these achievements I can ever experience in this world! Lord, please place my focus back on you! Help me to choose only where your presence is!

My God of Second Chances!

Mark 16:6-7

Recently, I’ve been feeling a lot like a ‘Peter’. And I guess this I really God’s way of telling me that He is a God of Second Chances.

Does God give Second Chances for those who have failed Him? He certainly did so for Peter. Peter had proudly announced to everyone that he was Jesus’ most reliable disciple (Matt 26:33). But yet Peter not only fled with other disciples when Jesus was arrested, he also denied that he even knew Jesus 3 times! Just as Jesus has said Peter would! (Matt 26:34) Peter failed so miserably that he went out into the night and wept bitterly (Matt 26:75)

But Jesus didn’t turn his back on Peter! In Mark 16:7, the angel actually gave instructions to the women at the tomb to let Peter and other disciples know that He was risen. I remember that it was shown during the Barnabas skit on Easter, where Jesus actually showed himself to Peter even though Peter was still doubtful and sceptical if it was really Jesus who was right in front of him! Even still, Jesus still responded by giving him a hug!
That’s not all… Jesus also chose Peter as his primary spokesperson on the day of Pentacost, when 3000 ppl were added to the church.

Time and time again, I would tell God that I will only do things that please Him, and yet, everyday brings about new struggles, some of which have brought small victories, and others in which I know I have failed the Lord. But, He’s telling me not to give up! Just like Peter, I know that God is not done developing me as a disciple! i will learn to press on!!!

Do you feel like a ‘Peter’ at times too? Don’t despair! Let’s learn to rejoice in the fact that our Lord is thankfully a God of Second Chances!

Your plans or God’s plans?

Luke 9:51-56

When James and John discovered that a Samaritan village would not receive Jesus, they were fully prepared to call down fire to consume the entire community! (vs 54) Putting myself in James’ or John’s shoes, I thought they might have felt that by sacrificing the lives of these villagers, they could probably have further the cause of the gospel, through their show of power. Or then again, it could be that they felt that these people have rejected the gospel, and that they probably don’t deserve the mercy that we deserve.

In any case, Jesus rebuked them (of course! And if you read on in acts 8, the Samarians later responded to the gospel!) God’s purpose had not been to destroy the people but to save them! Can you imagine what probably went through James’ and John’s minds as they see these people whom they almost destroyed, coming to rejoice in their salvation?! Thankfully they did not do anything that would have prevented Jesus from carrying out his plans!

Well, can you identify with these feelings too? I can. In fact, God’s really reminding us that His plans are far greater than ours, and even the best plans that we have for ourselves are nothing compared to the plans God has for us. Have you been short-changing God by living out your own plans rather than the plans He has for you?

You know, just yesterday when I was studying with a friend, I was just going through this enormous struggle whereby I had to make a decision whether to follow my heart and do as I please, or whether to do what’s right. I was really really desperate then, so I pleaded with God, that if He really didn’t want me to do that thing, then He’ll give me a clear sign. Just let it rain so heavily that I know it’s Him! (and you must understand, it was raining very heavily prior to that, and had stopped, and the sun was shining so brightly, no one would ever expect another downpour!)

Barely 5 min later, it just started pouring! So heavily in fact, and it lasted more than an hour! As I stared out of the window, I could only stare in awe and say, Yes Lord, that is You allright. I could have chosen to say, maybe it’s a coincidence? But I thank God that He stood by my side that even as I decided that I would only do the thing that pleases Him, and not me, I felt this struggle and burden just lifted up, and my heart felt heavy no longer! I felt so relieved that I didn’t just do what I felt like doing and ignored God’s sign for me! And I’m thankful coz I know that He sees it, and He honours it.

Well, to all… I thought the struggle was a lil personal, but felt like it could also encourage everyone who’s going through mountains in your lives now.
If it is part of God’s plans for you, He will see you through it. =)

Celebrating His Empty Tomb!

John 20: 1-18

I’m feeling very blessed that my last devotion of the week happens to fall on Easter Day! This significant day doesn’t happen to be the day for us to celebrate bunnies and feast over Easter chocolate eggs, but to celebrate the fact that Jesus died and rose from the dead on this very day – just as He promised!

This passage brings us back to Mary Magdelene, who was actually the one whom Jesus delivered from her demonic bondage, and from that very day, she became His devoted follower. She followed him around and saw him heal the sick, and taught people about God’s love. Her life was transformed as she experienced the joy of being with Jesus! Then her world seemed to fall apart when Jesus was arrested and brutally murdered. And when she wanted to anoint Jesus at the tomb, she found out that His tomb was empty! Then the two angels asked her, Why are you crying?

What she didn’t know then was that she was standing before an empty tomb because Jesus has risen, just as He promised! Knowing that Jesus was alive seemed to put everything back into perspective for Mary, and she quickly ran back to share the good news with others!
You know, the Christian walk is not always easy too. There are joyful moments of walking with Jesus, but there are also times when nothing makes sense and you may be discouraged by all that is happening around you.

Before doing today’s quiet time, I was actually quite discouraged, partly with the fact that my close friends (including my sister) are mostly non-Christians or Christians who have back-sliden, and praying and asking them for services or stuff never seem to be enough. And I asked myself whether there would be indeed this day when I can rejoice with them for their salvation. But it is really at these times, when I need to peer into the empty tomb too; the tomb that will give us hope because it symbolises the life from our risen Lord and more importantly, it promises that nothing, not even death itself, can defeat the purposes of our Lord!

Indeed, I want to claim these promises, that there will be this day that we can rejoice over my entire household and dearest friends entering into the kingdom of God!!!

Have you been discouraged recently and weeping beside an empty tomb too? Lets press on and continue to pray!! =)


p/s - Thank you, dear family, for always being there!

Serving with Joy? Or Alongside Giants?

Hebrews 9:11-14

Hebrews 9:14
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Something we can always give thanks for, that Christ died on the Cross for You and Me! When I think of the sacrifices He made, seriously, thanksgiving can never be enough to express how much I feel. Furthermore, there must be more worth and value that He sees in me, in us, that He chose to die for us even though He knew and saw how imperfect we are!

What I saw in vs 14 was really how much He lives in our heart… in the Past, the Present and Future! While God has forgiven our past sins, His purpose was so that we may serve the living God, and serving Him should be a joy indeed!

I asked myself, have I been serving the Lord with joy?

It is times when we find everything going against us, serving is no longer smooth-sailing, and obstacles and struggles start coming and piling in our various ministries that we may start to think of serving as a burden, or a responsibility that perhaps we might not be ready to take.

Today’s Good Friday session by Ps William brought us back to the story of giants in our lives. He said this, “When God tells you that you’re ready to be used, He goes around looking for a giant to put into your life, so that you will gain victory over it. If your faith is firmly built (on God’s foundation), you’ll not fear the giant.”

Today, is serving the Lord a continuous joy to you? Or has serving become a giant that you feel you have been struggling over and over again and that you cannot overcome and feel any sense of joy in doing things anymore? Then learn to lean on the Lord’s strength today, for only by His strength can we overcome! A year of victory! Let’s claim it for God’s kingdom! =)


On a side note, thank you Joanna, for sharing today! =)

Loving God is Never Cliché! =)

Romans 3:21-26

Somehow, I’m reminded of John 3:16, that God so loved us that he sent his One and Only Son to die for us, that we may live and have eternal life. Today’s passage served as a good reminder for me, because without the act that He did, we’re…. just sinners. Full stop. And that would probably have been the end of the story, because none of us can be declared righteous apart from Christ’s atoning death. Trying to do good or to live right won’t earn us the Lord’s favor. Everyone sins. And, we won’t be able to enter the presence of our holy God. As this passage emphasizes, His sacrifice illustrated how Jesus’s shed blood allowed believers to be cleansed of sin and have a relationship with the Creator.

For God to be just, He must remain true to His own principles. In Ezekiel 18:4, the Lord’s holiness dictated that “the soul who sins will die.” The penalty for sin—death—had to be paid in an acceptable way to God. In Leviticus 17:11, the Lord explains, through Moses, why He required a blood sacrifice: He says, “The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.” A life must be given so a life can be spared. So because of that, the heavenly Father provided a perfectly sinless sacrifice for everyone. God satisfied His justice and maintained His holiness when Jesus Christ took our guilt and sin and died in our place.

Writing this really took a lot of effort, because I thought it would sound real cliché initially. But I guess as Christians, we may have known this fact for as long as we have received salvation, but along the way, we probably start to think that it would sound funny to tell our non-Christian friends that, or to share the gospel to them. I dont know whether you did feel like that, but i did, not once, but many times, regretably. Like I often tell my Barnabas kids, they received Christ because they know there is a God who loves them and sacrificed His beloved Son for them, and they know that they’ll go to heaven. So we must share the gospel to our friends so that they will get to know God and go to Heaven too!

But somehow, somewhere, I think the adult in me must have arose, because I started to feel that only children would be able to share the gospel like that. While growing up, I must have lost my child-likeness, and start worrying how my friends will respond or think, whether they’ll laugh or walk away, etc, and in my heart, i started doubting or became skeptical about sharing Christ with my friends.

Today’s quiet time is really a timely reminder for me, that the only way is to trust God for everything, because trusting in anything else only ignores God’s holiness. More importantly, you know, sharing the Good News about what the Lord has done for us can never be cliché, because Our God rocks! (like literally… because He is our rock! haa...)

Receiving His Blessings Without Guilt!

Ephesians 1:3-14

The list of blessings in the passage makes things sound like everything’s too good to be true right? Oh well, it is actually! Hmm, then the question hit me, how come I still doubt God at times, for his presence, his provision, or even his promises?

Deep within my heart, I knew though…my constant struggle with guilt and shame makes me question God or even my salvation ALL the time. Will he still be able to love me for who I am? Would he still love me even though I keep sinning, confessing, and then fall back into sin again?

Sometimes, guilt makes me forget that our God is a God of grace and mercy. Sometimes, it makes me try even harder to want to gain his approval back, and I’ll do a lot of things thinking that it can atone for my shortcomings. And this is where I realise how destructive the power of guilt can be. It robs me from truly coming to know who my God is, and a deeper relationship with Him!

That is precisely why God provided biblical truth (His Word) to help us embrace His promises! When we’ve broken God’s commands, the only solution is repentance. More importantly, we learn to accept God’s forgiveness so that false guilt cannot be fabricated.

In this passage, I am reminded of these truths:

1) I am Special in His eyes!
God chose me (Yes, me!) to belong to Him and He is transforming me into Christ’s image! (vs 11, 14)

2) I am Loved by Him!
God’s love for me is unconditional, unchangeable, and unending! (vs 4-6)

3) I am forgiven!! Amen!!
Jesus paid the full price for my every sin! God has permanently forgiven me and adopted me into His family! (vs 7)

Indeed Lord, I thank you for the You who do not judge, who loves unceasingly, and the You who erases all our hurts, pains, and ugly pasts.

For everyone here, God’s promises are for you too! Would you come and embrace these truths into your lives too? =)

Saying No to the Green-Eyed Monster!!!

Just thought it would be a good thing to share, you know yesterday’s devotion was about obedience right? I felt that God’s using the same point to drill into me today through leader’s meeting! You should have heard the testimonies being shared today! Their faith was the greatest thing impressed upon my heart, that they chose not to seek their own paths or plans, regardless of how attractive the offer was, but rather, they chose to obey. It wasn’t easy for them to obey too, but as they obeyed, they found favour and more blessings they flowed from it! Indeed, our God’s ways are way higher than ours! Amen!

Okay… let’s go back to today’s passage. =)
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1 Samuel 18:5-16

As I read this passage, my 1st thought was initially filled with disgust at Saul’s attitude. Then I asked myself, Hey, who am I to judge? Am I not guilty of such attitudes or behaviours at times too?

Especially for us women, I too cant help but seem to take notice of people around me, scrutinising their looks, career, wealth, figure, possessions, salary, etc…. and don’t we always just wish we had half of that?! (sounds familiar right? =) )We often attribute jealousy as a woman’s second nature, but honestly, jealousy is really something that can consume anybody who allows the green-eyed monster to grow in them.

King Saul’s jealousy actually caused him to distrust David, the same young warrior who had served him by defeating Goliath! David loved the king and risked his life to help the kingdom, but still, Saul’s judgement was so clouded by all that envy, suspicions, bitterness and hostility that he became irrational in his thinking and behaviour. Consequently, Saul went into a rant and hurled a spear at the young man (1 Samuel 18:11), and later, even removed David from his presence, sending his loyal servant to the battlefield. So David’s faithful service was “rewarded” with the king’s hatred, a severed relationship, and death threats, and was forced to flee in the end.

Our minds are also like Saul’s at times, in which we will tend to dwell on a person or situation we envy. Fuelled by all that jealousy within us, our suspicion, confusion, bitterness, and hostility will grow stronger if we continue to feed on it each time. Fear and resentment too, completes the picture of jealousy. Sometimes, we’re afraid that we’ll fail to achieve the wealth, career status, or privileges of someone else. We may even resent that person’s accomplishments or become nasty to that person. In time, we may look for reasons to avoid being around that individual, eventually choosing to break off the relationship entirely, and who knows what next? When one is overcome by jealousy, his/her thoughts have already become irrational that anything can happen!!! Scary isn’t it?

Have you realised, this jealousy monster is not an excuse for us women to possess! If our hearts are left unchecked, the monster will grow in us and influence our attitudes, conversations, and actions. Eventually, it will even do damage to the relationships we have and even inflict great pain on others.

I had to do some serious soul-searching myself and ask the Lord to examine my heart. “Dying” to my self and surrendering that green-eyed monster to the Lord is a difficult and constant battle, but the Lord reminds us that as we surrender, He will honour our prayers and replace our spirit of jealousy with one of love and thankfulness.

Lord, please teach me to keep my eyes upon you, and keep my heart filled with contentment and thanksgiving for all the things You’ve blessed me with!

Blessings of Obedience

Luke 5:1-5

You know, the thing that impressed me most here was really Simon Peter’s response. “Because you say so…”

Many a times, when we’ve received so much of God’s blessings, it really is so easy to place the “I love You” words on our lips. However, it becomes quite the opposite when we face trails and difficulties, and these three words simply changes to “Lord, how come?” or “Lord, why this?”
As I learnt, Obedience is also an expression of love toward God. It enables us to endure trials and difficulties. Also, God pours out His blessings on those who obey.

Look at Simon. He didn’t manage to catch any fish all night even though he worked so hard all night. He could have just told Jesus, “Are you sure?” Or “Nah, I’m too tired, or discouraged, you know”. But he didn’t. Instead, he said, “Because you say so, I will let down the nets." By doing so, he took a step into a life of obedience and blessing. You know, on the surface, it didn’t seem like a big deal whether he lets down the net or not. But still, God had a bigger purpose than that. He was going to make him a “fisher of men”!

Furthermore, when he let down the net again at Jesus’ request this time, his obedience also meant a big catch for the rest in the boat as well! Something which the passage just enlightened me, when we obey, God will bless those around us as well! And as we give testimonies of how God responds to our obedience with goodness, others may be motivated to seek after Jesus too!!!

Sometimes when we cannot see what our Lord has in mind, we may not be able to comprehend the importance of His requests. More than often, we’re just tempted to change it to fit our plans, to wait for a more convenient time, or to skip it all together. Sometimes God may even tell us to respond or act in ways that make little sense. Didn’t God tell Noah to build an ark, and instructed Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on the altar instead of an animal? They too, agreed to God’s plan, even though it didn’t make sense at all! Their trust in God overruled any concerns and led to great reward.

Well, Good News to us All! God wants to do the same for us too! God has a plan for our eternal good, and it’s foolish not to obey Him. Like Peter, we have no idea what God will do in and through us if we commit to living a life of obedience. But today, will you lay aside all your own negativity or apprehension and simply, to obey? When the Holy Spirit prompts you, how will you respond?

Our Ultimate Struggle With Temptation!

James 1:12-15

Ouch. If there’s one thing every man and woman alike has experienced, it’s temptation. I’ll be lying if I say that I haven’t given in to temptation before. And nope, it’s not just chocolates and junk food I’m talking about k!

The object of temptation can be almost anything and everything! It can be something that a friend has that we don’t. It can be materialistic stuff like a nice house, a new car, a new bag, and the list goes on. It can also be something physical, like the rush of a relationship, the effects of clubbing or alcohol, or it can also be emotional… like recognition for a job well-done or an incessant need for praises. And whatever the object of temptation is, it just makes us crave for us… that we must have it, and we must have it now!

As such, we also start to throw whatever concerns we have on our minds. Is it good for me? It doesn’t matter. Will it benefit me or my family? That’s not the issue. Could this hurt someone I love? Who cares?

However, note verses 14 and 15! Indeed, temptation knows no loyalty! It’s like a raging beast that, if left uncontrolled, can bring absolute destruction into your life. Desire itself may not be inherently wrong, but have you ever wondered why our leaders always ask us to check ourselves and to check our hearts? Simply because when these desires are left unchecked, it can be the starting point for all types of trouble.

My dear sisters, are you allowing a single desire to control your life? Are you continually going beyond the limits of God’s approval? If there is something that is not pleasing to the Lord, let us turn our hearts back to Jesus and break the hold of temptation today! Do thank God for the desires He placed on your heart, and ask Him to direct these desires to something that will please the Lord! =)

James 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.