It does not make any sense to me how the clarity of the Word of God can be disputed.
If you take away the goodness of God, then I have to admit that I don't really know Him.
If what I've heard today is true, then it takes away my desire to serve Him.
I cannot serve a God like that. It actually hurt me physically to hear such lies about my Jesus.

But He isn't like that.
So I will not stop serving Him.
I must worship.

I cannot help but want to know Jesus. Not because He suffered the same things AS me but because He suffered them FOR me. We've been learning about Jesus, the man of sorrows who travelled Via Dolorosa, the road of suffering. He suffered for my sake. That is what makes Him different from any other god. Not because He merely identifies with us, but because He has invested ALL He had in us. He has imputed power and grace to us.

I want to know the Jesus who overcame the things I go through and through the Holy Spirit, teaches me to do the same. The God who compelled wise men to travel miles to bow and offer gifts. The Jesus whom shepherds came to pay homage to, to marvel at and praise God because they saw the example of the angels. The Jesus whom the prophets in the temple recognised when He was a baby, gave thanks for and boasted of to the rest of Jerusalem.

The young boy, Jesus, who grew and became strong and wise in the favour of the Lord. So wise that He went on to amaze the teachers in the temple with His questions. After which He continued to grow in wisdom and favour with God and men.

I want to know the Jesus whom John the baptist preached about. The Jesus who would fill the valleys and make the mountains low. The Jesus who would straighten the crooked places and level out the rough ones. The Jesus who would suffer in the wilderness only to come out stronger because He was holding on to the Word, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

The Jesus who was anointed with Holy Spirit to heal the sick, restore limbs, cast out evil spirits, cleanse the lepers, make the blind see, and the deaf hear. The Jesus who preached good news to the poor. The Jesus who spoke with authority, healed with authority, and had authority to give when He sent out His disciples. Jesus who came to seek and save the Lost.

Jesus who was persecuted because attention seeking Jews could not keep up with Him or the miracles He wrought. Persecuted by those who knew the law but not the power. Rejected by those who were waiting for the Messiah but did not recognise Him.

This Jesus who taught moral absolutes, Who looked at the heart rather than mere actions. Who cared for people more than customs. Who would rebuke the winds and waves and have them be silent. Jesus who knew the Father and introduced us to Him.

Jesus who flourished in life as the First Minister of the Good News, yet gave it all up only on the cross. But only for 3 days because He was an overcomer of death, poverty, sickness and sin. Because He took back all that Satan stole and made it available again to us. Praise God!!!

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5

~~~ (That) Hideous Strength ~~~
Oh, that I could scream
And the world would stop and listen
And these scars could speak in volumes
But who has ears to hear
Or eyes to see
Again I scream
But my voice is buried in an unearthly silence
Like in nightmares when ghosts steal your breath.
I pray that power be not in my words
But in truth that supercedes the mind of man,
and our dead hope, and our blind faith in means that
look to justify the ends.
With out you I am lost.
Let mine eyes not fail with looking upward
| Thrice - If We Could Only See Us Now |

OH YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES !!!!!!!!!!!!
Praise God!!!

I don't know how many of you actually like the video I posted previously. I'm getting so much out of their lyrics! It may or may not be the actual meaning of the songs but I love how God speaks to me from the lyrics. The lyrics from this song remind me of Paul. His experience with Jesus on the road to Damascus. The 2nd part also reminds me of Ananias questioning God's choice. The 3rd part is simply a revelation of Grace from God to us.

There's nothing like hardcore music screaming scripture to you. Click here to check out more songs from Oh, Sleeper at their myspace page.

~~~ Charlatan's Host ~~~
Sleep takes its hold with a sinking pull. And now that I'm alone, this burst of light
fills my lids and I'm awake to the songs of horror. Your ill-bought greatness, he's seen it all from the frame.
One day you'll reap the seeds of a shadowed past, and I can only hope I'm there.
You tried to satisfy the thirst of a thousand ages,
But built a stack of bones as your monument to dead vanity.
It's just a shrine to the words you use to wreck.

Tell me, How can you sleep?
How can you just welcome the wine and throw out your nets?
You throw out your nets and set fame to bait the noose. Set fame to derail what's innocent.
Why spare the life of inglorious waste? Why let him live?
He's just hunting your own! How can you just sit there and watch?

"Because i love you more than you know. Look again and tell me what you see!"

In the window was me. The massacres were all me!
Oh God, please! Please! deliver the penalties for all of this from me.
I'm not finding justice, no warrant for mercy...
Don't give up on me. Don't give up on me!
What happens when I turn and run again? And again, and again?
"I will forgive you."
And what happens when I lie to your face?
"I will forgive you."
Oh my God, I can be so defiant to some one who's arms stretch to me.
"I will forgive."
Don't give up on me! Don't give up on me!
"I have forgiven you!"

I'll awake to new purpose to fight this body.
No longer will I play the dark shepherd.
Let not my words be ripped from the throat of a horror.
Oh, forgiver! Where is justice in letting me live?
| Oh, Sleeper - When I Am God |

Let me first warn you guys... This video is noisy. A Christian hardcore band that I just discovered. I love it.

Vices Like Vipers

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Your scarlet soaked and bold
and the sheep's eyes locked to mine, sink to my bones.
Though your lips still drip, intentions, they keep me wanting more...

It's rising against all the walls we built for falling.
All the walls we built just stand in vain to draw you near.
It's the wool to hide the wolves.
And under these toes from where we last spoke, Your words laid so firm.
But I did not shed that skin like You said.
When the mason neglects the mortar, looks become deceiving
and when the bricks start to fall,
I'll be the one crawling down this road so dark.

Vices like vipers
Speak in whispers.
My heel's the meat to sink their teeth,
Like the viper I kept when You said, "Let go!"
This is what it took for me to see.

WHEN I AM GOD this church is unsound.
Slithering in the shade of a sinking church,
Surprise is no excuse for the traps that you left in the wake of warning.
So this is the warning, You fall to learn.

And to the girls,
You're worth more than the cheap words.
You see your body as beauty, but your pulse is worth more.

Hear me, it's not what it seems, though the feeding tastes of honesty.
This is the warning, you're just a hit to coax my urgency.

Why do we keep what holds us? Why do I keep what holds me down?
Lose the weight of defeat. It's time to stand your ground!

Vices like vipers
Speak in whispers.
My heel's the meat to sink their teeth,
Like the viper
I kept when You said, "Let go!"

Since all the alibis of ignorance are void...
This, my lust, the pornos and the sluts.
Take, my lust, this world's Love.
Great Counselor, take what's left.
Great Counselor, take what's left of me

Praise God! Just got back from a wonderful session with Reverend Mark Hankins. I really needed that time of refreshing! There's nothing like someone catching your attention and then directing it on God Himself! Everything else simply pales in comparison.

I was getting slightly disillusioned this past week. Last night, I had the weirdest experience. I was about to go into my room to read my bible when I suddenly had a sickeningly claustrophobic nauseating feeling. I felt that I had to get out of the house. So in less than 15 minutes, I washed up, changed, packed my bible into my sling bag and walked out of the house. Went to the esplanade to watch Sky In Euphoria and A Vacant Affair. Spent just under 2 hours at Mac's reading 1 Peter 1:1-12.

I received a T-shirt and an Ang Pow that my mom's friend dropped off outside our house when I got home just now. Its amazing how God surprises you with gifts. He even provides clothing. :) Mom paid for some facial products that I bought at marine parade today. God bless her!

Had a scrape with a lorry today too. The silly driver tried to squeeze past our Toyota Wish at the entrance of the carpark. Because of other vehicles parked along the road, we had to manoeuvre our vehicles to allow each other to pass. But because of his impatience / recklessness, he scraped the end of my bumper while passing. It was amazing how fast I got out of the car. I was angry that he had marred my 'driving record'. Thankfully, there was no serious damage done.

This incident reminds me of the football match we had 2 Sundays ago. It seems there maybe many different opinions regarding this topic. It is my habit in any football match to make an impression on the opponent by being aggressive early in the game so that the opponents don't take advantage of you through the rest of the match. So anyway, there was this instance where I was charging goalwards with the ball and I got tackled from behind. The referee had blown for a freekick to be given but I wanted the defender to know I wasn't pleased so I walked towards him, asking what was his problem and nudged him with my knee. I admit that I overreacted slightly with that. Later on, there was another instance with the same defender. This time he had the ball and was running towards our goal. I noticed that we were almost outnumbered in defence so I tugged his shirt to get the foul so that our team could get back to defend.

During the half-time break, one of my elder teammates said that when he saw me tugging the jersey, he was hoping that I'd be sent off. He was trying to make a point and he went on to say that as salt and light of the world, we have to be an example to others. I agree with him totally. My question is whether Christians can show displeasure or disapproval? Can Christians make intentional tactical fouls?

I love being in the midst of believers. I love being with worshippers who have a desire for more of God. I love talking about the Word and discussing about God exploits. During my chat with Joshua today, we were going through Ephesians. My eyes were skimming over the words and rested on verse 25 of chapter 4.

Therefore, having put away falsehood,
let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor,
for we are members one of another

I used to think that the purpose of this verse was simply to teach children or new believers the importance of not telling lies. But doing that would be to insult the apostle Paul's intelligence. Paul had just finished exhorting the Ephesians to put off the old ways of life. In verse 23, He talks about being renewed in the spirit of your minds. How to be renewed in the mind? Verse 25 says "THEREFORE put away falsehood". Put away thoughts and keep yourself from saying things like "I can't do it", "I'm not good enough", "I'll never amount to anything great".

Instead, speak the truth! Do it with your neighbour. Members of the body of Christ have to encourage and edify one another right? What better way than to speak truth? What greater truth is there than the word of God? What is the truth?
Verse 21 says,

...assuming you have heard about Him and were taught in Him,
as the truth is IN JESUS.

The truth is knowing who you are in Jesus, what we have in Jesus and what we can do in Jesus. These things, when we talk about them often will strengthen us. Verse 29 says that such is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Why did I emphasise the words "as fits the occasion"? Why are these words so important?
Truth is not meant spoken AT one another. The right word is to be spoken at the right time.

When I was doing my reservist training, there was a period of time where we were waiting for our turn to practice with some equipment. The area was full of gravel and one of my friends challenged me to hit a red rock a few metres away with a stone. We tried for a few minutes but couldn't hit it. In mock frustration, I scooped up a handful of stones and hurled it towards the red rock. To my amazement and their amusement, none of the stones made contact with the red rock.

In the same way, many believers are counselling in this way. When a person comes to them with a problem, we start quoting verse after verse at them hoping that one of the verses would 'make contact.' God revealed to me that He works differently. God is precise. A single word can minister healing and deliverance. A single word can encourage and break bondage.

God knows exactly whats wrong and He deals with the problem the way an experienced surgeon with a sharp instrument does. How do we become effective instruments? By looking at Him and listening to Him and obeying the Word. Jesus was the most effective minister ever and yet He said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise."

Shouldn't we be keeping our eyes peeled on the Father? Following the instructions stated in the Word of God? Imitating the nature of God and His Son?

Yes! I'm back in school! Its such a joy to be with believers who want to learn more. Such a joy, such a joy! The last week was spent at having "reservist" training. Such a waste of time that I almost doubted my decision to take leave of absence from the first week of school. Well, I praise God for His faithfulness during the week. Being back in the same camp reminded me of the listlessness and boredom. It reminded me of how great His outpouring of grace was during the 2 years of National Service. I almost couldn't handle being in camp for the first 2 days.

Thank God that I managed to get a half day off on Wednesday to return to school. It was so timely and being in school and in His presence made me confident that I had made the right decision. Better is one day in His courts! Better to be in His presence than to be anywhere else. He reminded me that I never need to be out of His presence. Time spent in His presence is NEVER wasted time.

Nepal has left me speechless. The Nepalese are quite a beautiful people. They are decent and polite to foreigners. Their eyes, deep and intense. They need to know Jesus. I think everyone from the group could sense it as well. Charmaine brought up a good point when she said that there was so much more for them than just living and working to survive. Nothing much bad about them other than their devilish driving and the incessant horning on the roads.

I think I'm beginning to understand being in the grace of God and relying totally on His strength. There were things that could never have been done without Him. So many things that could have gone wrong, people who could have gotten hurt and people who could have gotten lost. But He made everything turn out right.

On the first night, after shopping for sleeping bags, some of us wanted to go to buy some bottles of water and snacks. So there were 8 of us who split into 2 taxis to go to the supermarket. But when we reached the supermarket, the taxi with Keith, Elissa, Georgina and Nathalie had not arrived. Gloria and I were slightly panicky and we were praying individually that nothing would go wrong. After 30 minutes of waiting, walking and searching, we saw them trudging up to us holding grocery bags in their hands. Their taxi driver had dropped them at the wrong supermarket. Thank God that before we got on the taxis, we were joking about the the location of the supermarket and it made them remember the name. God is good!

On the 2nd day, we were on the bus up to Phulbari and we ran out of fuel. So we were stranded in the middle of the road halfway up. We could have gotten frustrated and irritated at the bus drivers but I really praise God that the team stayed positive. We had our first glimpse of the Himalyan skyline because of that incident. We climbed up onto a plateau where we could enjoy the scenery while waiting for the driver's assistant to fetch petrol. I believe that even when things go wrong because of man's foolishness, God turns it around for our benefit.

They had a church service on Thursday because that was their day off. Church was just a small dark room at the back of their store / cooking area. We could not all fit in. I loved it when they started to worship God. It was like tribal rhythmic singing. Just voices with a single percussion instrument. But the presence of God was fantastic. There was this one little boy, the evangelist's son singing his heart out. A beautiful passionate voice.

The times of worship in Nepal were heavenly. Peter put it the best in Acts 10:34.

Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,
but in every nation anyone who fears him
and does what is right is acceptable to him.

The word fear means to be in awe, to show heartfelt respect or in modern day terms, it simply means to worship. There was such a strong anointing for renewal and for the nation of Nepal in our prayers and worship. I remember Georgina leading us in a fantastic time in His presence. God showed us in verses like Psalms 95:1-5 and Isaiah 40:28-31 the depth of His grace and strength. It would be the recurring theme for the entire trip. It is my prayer that the grace and strength of God be visible constantly in my life. That means never again relying on my own efforts. Never again trying to achieve but always accomplishing for His Glory.

I pray that just like the sunrise in the mountains. The glory of God will shine through me and many others into the full glory of His return. I pray that His glory will illuminate the beauty in others and in me. Beauty is seen when things around reflect the sunlight. Father in all I do, it is your light that has to be seen. That is utmost.

~~~ You are faithful ~~~
Lord of all the earth
how You care for me
You have made me
You will save and carry me always

You are faithful
Your joy is my strength

Lord You are my God
I rely on You
I put my hope in things not seen
Your promises all true

Always You’re with me
Your hand will lift me
My trust is in Your hands
| Hillsong - Saviour King |

I meant to blog about this sooner but the Nepal fundraising event in church and Facebook have been taking up much of my time. Poor excuses, I know.

I wanted to go into more detail about what the Lord showed me about Psalms 63 almost a month ago in prayer school. It occurred to me that by grouping verse 1 & verse 5, verses 2 & 6, verses 3 & 7, verses 4 & 8, we would get a clearer picture of what the Holy Spirit was trying to communicate. Written by David in the wilderness of Judah, you can hear the cry in his words.

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Look at the words used to communicate his desire. The word translated as "Earnestly" or "Early" seems to describe a desperate need that can only be satisfied by constant, relentless waiting on Him. The closest I may have come to that feeling is after a soccer match in the heat of the afternoon. Where you feel that every cell in your body is screaming for hydration. Lynette asked a valid question during prayer meeting on Friday. She talked about being hungry for more of God. How many of us have experienced something like that? How many can truly say that we've thirsted till we've almost fainted?

Which brings me to the point.
My God is irresistible. More desirable than any treasure or jewellery.
Why is desire for God on such a low?
My God is limitless. He cannot be overdrawn, overtaxed, overwhelmed.
If you don't see a need for God, then you must not know God very well.
My God is huge. Bigger than any disaster, mishap, natural or otherwise.
If you knew my God, you would desire for more Him.

Its as logical as can be. Thats why movies have trailers, products have advertisements and superstars have posters. To inform about SOME of the things that we should expect. To give us a taste of things to come so as to WHET our appetite.

What is this dry and weary land with no water? Some people might answer, "Oh its when we're going through difficult times," or "When we're having the 'wilderness' experience," or some smarter people might try to say, "Any time that we're not in church."
To me, it is any moment apart from God. Any moment that we're not in His presence is a dry and weary place.

As I've mentioned before in the last post, verse 5 is like an immediate result of being in that position. When you earnestly desire Him it says that:

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

I don' t know about you, but I like seeing and being assured of the outcome. I will be satisfied and I will praise! Fat and rich food actually carries the meaning of abundance, to be blessed or to have the best of the land. There is a new testament equivalent in Matthew 5:6 which says:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.

Verses 2 & 6 can be read together and would look like this:

So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
When I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

We see here one of the keys of tapping on the promise of satisfaction. Notice here that looking, beholding, remembering, meditating are basically the same thing. Immerse yourself in knowledge about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Think about the things you learnt in prayer meeting, speak freely with Him throughout the day, ponder about the things of God during your meal times, thank Him for His promises before you sleep. I used to think that doing so would render one irrelevant to the world. But nothing could be further from the truth! This is what the world needs! The world is crying out for people who truly know God and can guide them into His presence.

We know from 1 John 4:8, 16 that God is Love. 1 John 4:9 says that through Jesus Christ, love was made manifest, or love appeared! So when verse 3 & 6 speaks about God's steadfast love, it is actually speaking about Jesus.

Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

His steadfast love is better than life! His steadfast love, Jesus, has been my help! My lips will praise Jesus and in the shadow of his wings, I will sing for joy. Why? Because Jesus is better than life. As Jesus says in John 10:10(KJV), "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." Jesus is life.
What prevents us from drawing closer to Him?

So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

Verse 8 talks about clinging to Jesus. I feel that this English word doesn't do the original justice. The same word is used to describe the relationship between a man and his wife in Genesis 2:24. Some translations use the word "cleave to". This verse is then quoted 4 times in the New Testament by Jesus and Paul. (Matthew 19:5; Mark 10:7; 1 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 5:31)
It would mean that our relationship with God could be compared to a loving, pure, healthy, sexual union between a man and a woman.
There is also a sweet connection between the second lines of both verses. As I lift up my hands in His Name, He upholds me in His right hand! Isn't that beautiful?

If we want to be satisfied more deeply, we must desire Him so much more.
If we want to desire Him more, we must know Him so much more.
If we want to know Him more, we must be carried away by His Word.

And Daryl entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of his fathers, with all his heart and with all his soul, and Daryl rejoiced over the oath, for he had sworn with all his heart and had sought Him with his whole desire, and He was found by Daryl, and the LORD gave him rest all around.
| 2 Chronicles 15:12,14,15 |

This verse is encouraging me so much. This weekend has been spiritually and physically draining. Its not that I can't take the pressure. I've not been given anything new to handle. Its more like I'm not used to being challenged on so many fronts. I'm not doubting the Word of God and I don't think I'm lacking in faith. Its times like this, you just wish that Jesus would show up. If you spend the whole week 'serving' and then feel so far from Him, you begin to wonder. Am I really serving Him in the first place?

Maybe this is where the training really starts. This is where the rubber hits the road. Putting into practice the things that I've learnt. Its not the activities that I need to focus on completing, lessons that i need to focus on teaching, points and ideas which I need to get across. The focus should be to search after God with all my desire. Only then is there a true rest.

Psalms 63:1 --> O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Do you see the level of desire? As if I would die without it.

Psalms 63:5 --> My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.

This is the result of that desire. Satisfaction.
I don't mean to be disrespectful to God in any way. But honestly? I am not satisfied yet.

Don't waste time. Don't waste time! These words echo within me almost everyday now. Ephesians 5:16 says:
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (ESV)

There is a sense of urgency that stirred up within me when I read that. How does one not waste time? Ephesians 5:8 says that we are the light of the Lord. Paul asks us to walk as children of light!

Sounds simple enough doesn't it? But what does it mean to walk as a child of the light? Verse 1 and 2 of chapter 5 puts it simply enough. Like beloved children, be imitators of God AND walk in love the way Jesus loves us. How does one imitate God? Imitate means to follow, or to copy in action. So it simply means to act like Jesus!

The previous chapter (ch 4) and verse 22-23 talks about the proper way to behave as a child of light. Get rid of the old self and all its nastiness! PUT ON YOUR NEW SELF, which is the very image and likeness of God! Righteous and Holy! Act it out, play the part, fit the role. Don't let the devil deceive you into feeling as if it was hypocritical! Thats my God! Beaming with pride like a father seeing his son, the groom, walking confidently down the aisle in a sharp new suit. Thats what God sees in us when we put on His gift of righteousness and redemption.

What do the words, "Don't waste time" mean to me?
It means learning as much as I can about Him through His Word. It means finding out as much as I can about Him. Not just to know for the sake of knowledge. But so that I can worship Him all the more. For example, the more I find out about His love, the more amazed I am because of that love. And the more amazed I am, the more I want my life to be an ongoing worship to Him. The opposite is true. You cannot worship who you don't know.

~~~ You are awesome ~~~
You are awesome in this place, Mighty God
You are awesome in this place, Abba Father
You are worthy of our praise
to You our lives we raise
You are awesome in this place, Mighty God

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NKJV)

Confess Your Sins And Be Saved
I’ve often heard this verse being quoted whenever we were leading people to the Lord. I was taught to share this verse with unbelievers during street evangelism. The aim was to get them to confess all their sins before they could be saved. This was what I understood about salvation. I used to hold to the belief that I had to confess my sins constantly to stay forgiven.

This verse has been the topic of much debate in my cell group and among my friends. It stems from the interpreting the phrase “If we confess our sins,” as a qualifier for God’s forgiveness and cleansing.

However, if we look at other scriptures from the bible, we see that there is no requirement for an unbeliever to confess their sins before salvation can take place. There seems to be no New Testament scripture which supports confessing sins as a means to stay saved.

According to Romans 10:9-10, 13
…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

It is clearly stated that salvation requires confession of Jesus as Lord and believing that God has raised Him from the dead. The confession stated here is not confession of sin but a confession of Jesus. We can also see another example from when Paul and Silas were talking to the Philippian Jailer.

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Acts 16:30-31

Who Does 1 John 1:9 Apply To?
First of all, from the context of the epistle, we can see that 1 John was addressed to believers. John refers to the recipients of the letter as “my little children” and teaches them to walk in the light and to beware of anti-christs. According to Merrill C. Tenney in the book New Testament Survey, "…the most acceptable view is that these documents were written by John for the Asian churches in the middle of the last third of the century."

The question which then arises, is there a need for Christians to keep confessing their sins? What happens to unconfessed sin? Do we become unforgiven or unrighteous again?

For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:17 (NLT)

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
Hebrews 10:11-14 (NKJV)

These scripture do not seem to agree with that stand.

The book of 1 John seems to carry a paternal tone to it and the tone of this verse is constant with the rest of the book. It seems that John is trying to reassure and advise the readers of the forgiveness and their righteousness. The Amplified Version seems to bring across this reassurance.

But if we really are living and walking in the Light, as He Himself is in the Light, we have true, unbroken fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses or removes us from all sin and guilt. He keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations. (AMP)
1 John 1:9

We see here how a wrong interpretation of scripture and taking things out of context of the rest of the bible can cause wrong teachings to surface.

Praise God!! After about a year and about S$1,300, I have passed my driving test. By many people's standards, this is about 6 years too late. But I believe this is just a step in God's plan of unleashing many more blessings in my life.

I led worship during church service for the first time on Sunday. It was quite an experience. There was definitely God's grace present during the worship. Still trying to figure out the finer details like flowing specifically with His direction during the praise and worship, as well as other technical and musical things. It has definitely been a fantastic experience. Most importantly, God did show up!

G . R . A . C . E

"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
| John 4:23-24 |

This scripture has been hitting me over and over in ways that I've never seen before. I've heard this verse quoted so often and so pointlessly that it seems that we've lost the impact of it. The Greek word translated as 'worship' in this verse is 'proskuneo'. And it means to prostrate, or to revere, or to adore. This brings to mind the scene of Mary at the feet of Jesus, anointing them with perfume. This is adoration, this is worship.

Who are those who worship him?
I am.

The simplicity of the verse hit me during prayer school today. God is spirit and I MUST worship Him. Not an obligation... but a yearning. Not because its a requirement, but because I love to. I just have to worship Him simply because God is. Israel Houghton put is best when he said, "Birds fly... fishes swim... I worship..."

Its a given that true worshippers must worship and spirit and in truth. So the way I see the verse is "God is... (amazing, awesome, fantastic) And I just have to worship..."

Another verse that hit me, also on the area of worship is Romans 4:20.
"No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God"

'Glory' is translated 'doxa'
A Greek lexicon defines it as dignity, glory(-ious), honour, praise, worship.

This was referring to Abraham and the promise that he would be "Father of Many Nations". Worship is what helped him. As we glorify God, it helps us magnify Him. Our worship strengthens our faith. It strengthens our belief in the promises of God and causes us to be stable.

This term has been a hectic one. And it has made me realise the possibility of letting the depth of the teaching at bible school just pass me by. I've been seriously contemplating quitting my job at Kumon so as to free up more time to study the Word and to serve in church. But then, all sorts of questions pop up in my mind. How am I going to support myself? How can I afford to stop work?
And the most important question of all or rather the only question that really matters...
Is this what God wants me to do?
If it is, then the other questions don't matter any more.

Another first for me this school term attending two funerals. It gave me a lot of things to contemplate. But I praise God for opportunities to be there for friends and family.

School has been fun. I'm really enjoying my time there especially during prayer school. I've been heavily involved in worship for this semester, but it seems i'm scheduled to play percussions on most days. I would really love to lead worship more often but at the end of the day, its the needs of the school which outweigh my desires. Its through times in worship that I sense an anointing and a grace to serve in this area. This is an area which I really wanna learn and improve in.

~~~ You Are ~~~
You are my light and salvation,whom shall i fear?
You are the strength of all my days, of whom shall i be afraid?
Though war may rise against me, of this i will be sure.

CHORUS
That i shall bless the lord for ever,
I'll bless your holy name
Yes I will bless the lord for ever ,
I'll bless your holy name.
Hillsong - Hope

These two weeks of school have just whizzed by like a bullet. Classes have been beneficial but I still feel that there's something deeper that I'm not getting or understanding. I'm not talking about the lessons... I'm talking about an underlying thought or purpose which I know I have but just doesn't seem to emerge. But then again, the reason why its not clear could be due to the my busyness or simply my lack of discipline to "just sit at the feet of Jesus".

There have been certain issues weighing on my mind recently.
Been praying for Uncle Jimmy and his family.
I thank God, who always leads us to triumph.

The 40DOP campaign in church and the cell group is now in full swing.
I thank God for deeper relationships forged with God through Christ Jesus.

My driving test is in 2 weeks time.
I thank God for the ability given to me to drive well. I thank God for the grace and favour shown to me from instructors, the tester, and motorists.

I'm leading the praise & worship session in church service for the first time in 2 weeks time.
Praise God for helping me and granting me the opportunity to realise a dream even without my asking for it. Once again, I praise God for the ability and the anointing to lead His people.

I praise God for providing ALL that I need to achieve His purpose in my life. I have the grace to go through bible school receiving the FULLEST possible impartation. I have the ability to serve with my entire being in places where I have been called. I thank God for the wisdom to understand truth from the Word of God and for the ability to recognise Him at work.

Its probably because I fell sick the night before school restarted, but it feels as if I barely made it through the school break. Did I fully utilise my time away from bible school? Did I serve Him with the best of my ability? What good have I actually done? And my oft-repeated reminders to myself, What have I learnt?

I'm quickly recovering from all symptoms of the sickness. I intend to be fully well tomorrow morning. Its time to stop wasting time. One thing I want to get from God this semester is a specific direction for 2008. Its time for doors to be opened.

~~~ To Worship You I Live ~~~
Away away from the noise
alone with you
away away to hear your voice
and meet with you
nothing else matters my one desire is

To worship you I live
I live to worship you
| Israel and New Breed - Live in South Africa |

I was in pretty high spirits when I went to visit my Uncle Jimmy today. I thought it would be a simple time of praying and encouraging. But when I looked into the room where he was in, I thought it was another person. The person I saw looked nothing like my uncle whom I had visited a couple of weeks before. His frame was thin and dishevelled, his cheeks sunken, his eyes showing disorientation. And I was stunned. Honestly, I was frightened... and fear kept trying to creep into my thoughts. Thoughts of my parents, my life, my beliefs shot through my mind.

It was a few minutes before I managed to pull myself together and my family and I began to pray in the spirit for him. I couldn't have prayed any other way. Words fail you in situations like these. Thank God for the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Thank God for my family who each began to speak Scripture to Uncle Jimmy. Lynette was praying God's promises for him and claiming victory for the whole situation and we were agreeing together as a family.

It was at this point when I felt God speaking to me to lay hands on Uncle Jimmy. God brought to my remembrance Luke 4:18-19
The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind
To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD

To set free those who are oppressed. Those who are suffering and those in need of healing. Thats when I saw in my mind, Uncle Jimmy's head being held in hands. I saw his brain being filled out and restored. I felt my hands grow warm and I knew that I had to go over and touch him. And when I did, I felt God's healing compassion and love simply rush through me and into Uncle Jimmy. Tears began to roll down and I knew again that his time was not up, his work was not done. I saw every fibre of his being restored. And after we finished praying, there was a sense of peace in the room. There was even a change in the countenance of Uncle Jimmy as he fell asleep soundly once we starting praying. I could recognise him again.

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This victory is not only reserved for heaven but here on earth as well. Uncle Jimmy, I look forward to seeing you preach again.