hey guys, yining here. i wanna address some issues here.
1) you gotta take personal responsibility for your own walk with God
realistic speaking, you can't feed off my relationship with God. you can't get close with God just because yining/any other Christians are close to God. it's between you and God. i repeat. you and God and nobody else.
how to take personal responsibility? easy. do your qt and come to church. it may seem like a systematic and religious "formula" but it isn't because God is a sovereign, faithful and LIVING God and seeks to have a personal relationship with us. qt and church are one of the most basic ways God can choose to speak to us. you may realize[or at least i do] that those days we don't turn up are days God will/can choose to speak to us the MOST.
2) the house of God is not just a place you come when it's convenient for you. it's a place where believers gather to fellowship and worship with one another and God
i understand. some of us have life's tasks and commitments. school work etc etc. not enough time etc etc. i want you guys to remember that one of the most favourite lies of the devil is that it's alright to skip church once. after all, i have perfect attendance. it won't hurt, God will understand. i'm busy and have no time.
that is a HUGE lie because you're making excuses for yourself, trying to justify the reason for you not coming to church. guys, God sees our hearts and coming to the house of God isn't about just coming at times we feel happy or are free. when we "seek first the kingdom of God, everything else will be added on to us." God HONOURS people whom HONOURS Him.
guys, remember. God is a faithful God and He honours us.
Romans 3:2-4 "What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all!"
God wants a relationship. not a religion.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
intellect vs Spirit-led faith
i read this book about overcoming spiritual blindness and God spoke about something so applicable in my life and walk.
i can confidently tell you all that i am spiritually blind. i try and comprehend, understand God based on my rational mind. and guys, i couldn't. i can also tell you guys that my eyes are fixed on the outside. on how much you do. judging how "spiritual" other people and i myself am by the amount of things other people and i do. .
when i think about my prayers before qt, there is definitely no relationship with God. i think of the stuff i pray before qt, 70% of them are nearly same. it's been a long time since i've been intimate with God. it's been a long time since i've poured my heart to God.
guys, i want to challenge you all[and myself]. do not determine God's existence based on science, your five senses and worldly philosophies because all this are for this material world. instead, embrace the Word of God, establish a transparent relationship with God and live by faith. i also challenge you all to spend more fellowship with God instead of busying yourself with the affairs around you. God is faithful and sovereign.
Father, i pray You'll open up our spiritual eyes and see that God, You are a sovereign God who never fails. Father, i pray God we'll love You so much more, everyday, bit by bit we'll love You. Lord, i pray we'll live by faith and not by sight.
i can confidently tell you all that i am spiritually blind. i try and comprehend, understand God based on my rational mind. and guys, i couldn't. i can also tell you guys that my eyes are fixed on the outside. on how much you do. judging how "spiritual" other people and i myself am by the amount of things other people and i do. .
when i think about my prayers before qt, there is definitely no relationship with God. i think of the stuff i pray before qt, 70% of them are nearly same. it's been a long time since i've been intimate with God. it's been a long time since i've poured my heart to God.
guys, i want to challenge you all[and myself]. do not determine God's existence based on science, your five senses and worldly philosophies because all this are for this material world. instead, embrace the Word of God, establish a transparent relationship with God and live by faith. i also challenge you all to spend more fellowship with God instead of busying yourself with the affairs around you. God is faithful and sovereign.
Father, i pray You'll open up our spiritual eyes and see that God, You are a sovereign God who never fails. Father, i pray God we'll love You so much more, everyday, bit by bit we'll love You. Lord, i pray we'll live by faith and not by sight.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Sermon on the 13th April: TRUTH UNPLUCKED II
hey guys, yining here. since none of you turned up yesterday, i'm gonna post sermon notes here. i hope you guys will READ AND READ AND RE-READ till your eyes drop because you WILL forget it by mid-week.
Ps Daniel shared mainly 5 habits on how to weave the truth in our minds.
1)Use specific truths
simply speaking, it's simply using a part of Scripture that speaks into the lie of yours. so let's say you tend to be decieved by the lie that "it's alright to fall into temptations." then the Scripture to tackle it would be 1 Corinthians 10:13 "... and God's faithful; He would not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. and when you're tempted, He WILL provide a way out.." [emphasis mine]
people, the Bible should be the final authority in your life. don't resort to worldly truths because it might[or probably will] contradict God's Word and Himself.
2) Speak out the truth
this may sound little weird but we gotta VERBALIZE the truth. why? because the devil can't hear your thoughts like how God can! the devil or any other demons are still created beings. the volume does not matter; what matters is you speak the Scripture out.
eg. during the time when Jesus was tempted in the desert, he didn't just STARE at the devil or GLARE at him with the Scripture in mind. He always says aloud "IT IS WRITTEN..." this should serve as an example eh! :D
3)Personalize the truth
simply change the "hes" or "shes" or "wes" to "I". after all, the Scripture DOES applies to you!
4) Pray the truth
prayer is always very important. we also need to intergrate the truths in our prayer. if you have difficulties obeying the Word of God, simply pray it. something like "God, i confess that i've been struggling with a lie in my life and i pray God i'll be able to/i want to be/(any other requests) _________[fill in the blanks]"
5) Meditate on the truth
i guess you guys know people practising yoga often meditate with their mind blank. Christians however meditate with the Word of God constantly in mind. how?
(i) by simply choosing a verse and rehearsing it in your mind until you fall asleep. of course, you can meditate upon it anytime and anywhere. it simply involves step (i)
we can't make excuses like "oh, i JUST can't memorize any verses. ah old age, poor memory arh." that's really a lie because we can memorize our JC notes, song lyrics and our textbooks. we gotta remind ourselves that it's not the ABILITY, but our PRIORITY.
guys, emotions are poor leaders. don't let your emotions lead you. capture your thoughts and "make it obedient to Christ."
so that's all! of course, i have some other sidenotes but be proactive if you want them ya! :) i want you guys to make a commitment, eg. memorize a verse everyday or have a accountability partner[which can be yours truly] if we wanna grow closer in God, we gotta take personal responsibility. :D
Ps Daniel shared mainly 5 habits on how to weave the truth in our minds.
1)Use specific truths
simply speaking, it's simply using a part of Scripture that speaks into the lie of yours. so let's say you tend to be decieved by the lie that "it's alright to fall into temptations." then the Scripture to tackle it would be 1 Corinthians 10:13 "... and God's faithful; He would not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. and when you're tempted, He WILL provide a way out.." [emphasis mine]
people, the Bible should be the final authority in your life. don't resort to worldly truths because it might[or probably will] contradict God's Word and Himself.
2) Speak out the truth
this may sound little weird but we gotta VERBALIZE the truth. why? because the devil can't hear your thoughts like how God can! the devil or any other demons are still created beings. the volume does not matter; what matters is you speak the Scripture out.
eg. during the time when Jesus was tempted in the desert, he didn't just STARE at the devil or GLARE at him with the Scripture in mind. He always says aloud "IT IS WRITTEN..." this should serve as an example eh! :D
3)Personalize the truth
simply change the "hes" or "shes" or "wes" to "I". after all, the Scripture DOES applies to you!
4) Pray the truth
prayer is always very important. we also need to intergrate the truths in our prayer. if you have difficulties obeying the Word of God, simply pray it. something like "God, i confess that i've been struggling with a lie in my life and i pray God i'll be able to/i want to be/(any other requests) _________[fill in the blanks]"
5) Meditate on the truth
i guess you guys know people practising yoga often meditate with their mind blank. Christians however meditate with the Word of God constantly in mind. how?
(i) by simply choosing a verse and rehearsing it in your mind until you fall asleep. of course, you can meditate upon it anytime and anywhere. it simply involves step (i)
we can't make excuses like "oh, i JUST can't memorize any verses. ah old age, poor memory arh." that's really a lie because we can memorize our JC notes, song lyrics and our textbooks. we gotta remind ourselves that it's not the ABILITY, but our PRIORITY.
guys, emotions are poor leaders. don't let your emotions lead you. capture your thoughts and "make it obedient to Christ."
so that's all! of course, i have some other sidenotes but be proactive if you want them ya! :) i want you guys to make a commitment, eg. memorize a verse everyday or have a accountability partner[which can be yours truly] if we wanna grow closer in God, we gotta take personal responsibility. :D
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Ali's Dad's wake
hey guys, yining here. i just came back from ali's dad's wake and it's really not what i expected.
when i looked into the face of ali's dad into the coffin and glanced around to see that everyone[okay not everyone la! but ya! :p] was hugging and crying, i felt twisted inside. death is terrifying. very. who wants to die knowing they'll go to hell?
yet God's good and His grace abounds so much in you and me and all of us. our passports to heaven is secured. but i think i wanna die knowing that i'm a few moments away from God and be GLAD about it. what about you all? you don't need to have the same perspective as me. but the crux here is that we live a life that brings glory to God. if we don't, what for are you living on this earth among the solar system which's among the billions of galaxies?
anyway, we visited peirong's mum and she's alright now. something to thank God for eh! :D :D and donric looks fine to me too!
keep the people around you in prayer. the times when you don't wanna pray are the times you BETTER pray. the busier you are, the MORE YOU OUGHT to pray. don't give up!
Lord, i pray You'll open up our eyes and enable us to see that You're our Lord and nothing else.
when i looked into the face of ali's dad into the coffin and glanced around to see that everyone[okay not everyone la! but ya! :p] was hugging and crying, i felt twisted inside. death is terrifying. very. who wants to die knowing they'll go to hell?
yet God's good and His grace abounds so much in you and me and all of us. our passports to heaven is secured. but i think i wanna die knowing that i'm a few moments away from God and be GLAD about it. what about you all? you don't need to have the same perspective as me. but the crux here is that we live a life that brings glory to God. if we don't, what for are you living on this earth among the solar system which's among the billions of galaxies?
anyway, we visited peirong's mum and she's alright now. something to thank God for eh! :D :D and donric looks fine to me too!
keep the people around you in prayer. the times when you don't wanna pray are the times you BETTER pray. the busier you are, the MORE YOU OUGHT to pray. don't give up!
Lord, i pray You'll open up our eyes and enable us to see that You're our Lord and nothing else.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
dear Lester, Victor and Yeeliang
first post!!! :D :D
hey guys, yining here.
this blog's created so that we'll be able to check up, encourage, pray for one another. we ARE one Body and interdependent on one another. post your testimonies, verses you wanna share, prayer requests, your week, studies, home, problems. let's be transparent because transparency can get us to a whole new level ya! :)
---------------------------------------------
you guys might have heard of what happened to donric, peirong's mum and alicia's dad and be affected by it. it's natural because when one of part of the Body suffers, all does.
but don't be discouraged because we're fighting against the spiritual forces of darkness. if you think this is purely physical, know that this 3 things happened only within our cellgroup[though the state of other cellgroup, i don't know]. be of good cheer because peirong's family, ali's family and donric's family need our prayers. if you don't wanna pray, then think at the perspective of ali herself, maybe. then you'll realize how much they need our prayer.
show practical love. give them a sms or something. Christians SHOULD be practical. after all, "the kingdom of God is not about talk but power."
Galatians 6:2 "Carry each other burdens and in this way, you'll fulfill the law of Christ."
keep the posts rolling in!
hey guys, yining here.
this blog's created so that we'll be able to check up, encourage, pray for one another. we ARE one Body and interdependent on one another. post your testimonies, verses you wanna share, prayer requests, your week, studies, home, problems. let's be transparent because transparency can get us to a whole new level ya! :)
---------------------------------------------
you guys might have heard of what happened to donric, peirong's mum and alicia's dad and be affected by it. it's natural because when one of part of the Body suffers, all does.
but don't be discouraged because we're fighting against the spiritual forces of darkness. if you think this is purely physical, know that this 3 things happened only within our cellgroup[though the state of other cellgroup, i don't know]. be of good cheer because peirong's family, ali's family and donric's family need our prayers. if you don't wanna pray, then think at the perspective of ali herself, maybe. then you'll realize how much they need our prayer.
show practical love. give them a sms or something. Christians SHOULD be practical. after all, "the kingdom of God is not about talk but power."
Galatians 6:2 "Carry each other burdens and in this way, you'll fulfill the law of Christ."
keep the posts rolling in!
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