Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Practice makes perfect

"Keep me safe, O God,
for in you I take refuge.
You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.
I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure.
You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence."
Psalm 16:1-2, 8-9, 11

Lord as I seek to increase Your presence and influence in my life help me grow stronger in faith, hope and love.

As I realise You're always beside me, build my faith as " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)

Build my hope; because my hope is You, nothing can faze me, for You are my anchor.

Build my love for You, as You have loved me. I desire Your presence, make me yearn for You every day.

Lord make me a man after Your own heart.


"I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;
give ear to me and hear my prayer.
Show the wonder of your great love,
you who save ... those who take refuge in you.
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings.
And I - in righteousness I will see your face;
when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness."
Psalm 17:6-8, 15

"That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple."
Psalm 27:4

Lord I desire to seek You,
That You may strengthen me
In faith, hope and love
I want to be a man after
Your own heart
That I may dwell
In the house of the Lord
All the days of my life


Building my faith in Him
Building my faith in Jesus Christ
We have every victory in this life
Victory has been won
We were bought by faith in God's son

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

The Still Small Voice

And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD , for the LORD is about to pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD , but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" "
1 Kings 19:9-13


There is nothing more wonderful in all the world than not only feeling His presence but hearing His voice in your soul also.

The Lord is not always in the wind, earthquale or fire. he is often the still, small voice. As Christians we have to train ourselves to be receptive to that voice. Many times we crowd God out with our reasoning, and cannot hear His promptings. Perhaps God is just about to reveal His word to us, when we hastily end our prayer. Don't let Matthew 26:40 haunt you - "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?"


"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." "
Isaiah 30:21

I pray for discernment in knowing what is from You, and what isn't. Help me hear Your voice loud and clear amidst the daily clutter. May You be my rod and staff, and the guiding light onto my path.


"This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Matthew 3:17

Lord may I follow You and hear Your voice, as a son would heed his father's words.


"I love You Lord, and I lift my voice to worship You
O my soul rejoice!
Take joy, my King, in what You hear
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear"

A Perfect End to a Day

"I call with all my heart; answer me, O Lord ,
and I will obey your decrees.
I call out to you; save me
and I will keep your statutes.
I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I have put my hope in your word.
My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,
that I may meditate on your promises.
Hear my voice in accordance with your love;
preserve my life, O Lord, according to your laws.
Those who devise wicked schemes are near,
but they are far from your law.
Yet you are near, O Lord,
and all your commands are true.
Long ago I learned from your statutes
that you established them to last forever."
Psalm 119:145-152

Lord as I call out to you, answer me.
I put my hope in Your word.
Let my eyes remain open at all times.
May I meditate on Your promises.
Hear my voice and preserve my life.
All Your commands are true, and last forever.


"I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds."
Psalm 77:12

I will never forget the prayers You answered, the miracles Your did, the times You saved me.


"This has been my practice: I obey Your precepts."
Psalm 119:56

Lord let it be natural for me to desire to obey and please You. Let it be my practice too.


"Thank You Jesus for Your love to me
Thank You Jesus for Your grace so free
I lift my voice to praise Your name
Praise You again and again
You are my everything
You are my Lord"

Monday, June 28, 2004

Centring prayer

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might."
Ecclesiastes 9:10

I want to do my best for God in every and any aspect of my life. Help me focus on you, that I may not waste my time on trivialities.


"Don't be afraid. Those who are with us are more thab those who are ith them. The Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and vhariots of fire all aaround Elisha."
2 Kings 6:16-17

God is always there no matter how bleak things are. Look at things from God's perspective: Nothing is impossible for Him.

"We must see that whatever God allows is for a purpose and that He wants us to use it. Often we are cross when He doesn't deliver us from certain situations and feel He cannot have been there. We must learn that He allows things to happen because He sees a bigger plan which includes not just us but others as well."
Every Day with Jesus, 27 June 2004

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

"When I look into Your holiness
When I gaze into Your loveliness
When all things that surround me become shadows in the light of You
When I've found the joy of reaching Your heart
When my soul becomes enclosed in Your love
When all things that surround me become shadows in the light of You

I worship You, I worship You
The reason I live, is to worship You"

Sunday, June 27, 2004

Ending each day with God

"On my bed I remember you; I thinnk of you through the watches of the night."
Psalm 63:6

Lord let me faithfully commit each day and night onto you. Protect me each waking and resting hour, and let me spend my moments reflecting on you, and reflecting you. Help me honour You in everything.


"He went out to the field one evening to meditate."
Genesis 24:63

"Arise, cry out in the night, as the wathes of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord."
Lamentations 2:19

Thank the Lord before you sleep for all that He has done. Thank Him for His attention and involvement in your life.


"From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same
The Lord's name is to be praised"

Friday, June 25, 2004

Think about it

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these."
Matthew 6:26, 28-29

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6:33-34

Lord I thank you for your attention and I want to reciprocate. Lord I realise nothing we do can earn your undeserved favour. It is by Your grace that my needs are provided for. Lord I thank You for paying attention to every detail of my life, that I may walk in Your truth.

I want to seek You, the Giver, first, because I acknowledge that You are paramount in my life. I claim that Your blessings will chase me as I seek Your will. I will place my future in Your hands, and I don't want to worry about where I stand and what to do. You have a far greater plan that I want to follow.


"Stop and consider God's wonders."
Job 37:14

"O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.

When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor."
Psalm 8:1, 3-5

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
Luke 12:25

"Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Hebrews 12:1-2

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
Hebrews 12:11

Lord let me focus on Your wondrous works, least if all me. Thank you for crowning me with glory and honour. Let me not worry, but instead cast my burden and persevere in Your path. Let me not veer to the left or to the right; let me be disciplined, to produce "a harvest of righteousness and peace".


"O Lord our God, how excellent your Name is
How excellent your Name in all the earth
Your glory fills the heavens
Beyond the farthest star
How excellent your Name in all the earth

When I think about the heavens
The moon and all the stars
I wonder what You ever saw in me
But You took me and Your loved
And You've given me a crown
And now I praise your Name eternally"


"Think about His love, think about His goodness
Think about His grace, that brought us truth
For as high as the heavens above,
So great is the measure of my Father's love
Great is the measure of my Father's love

How can I forget His love?
How can I forget His mercy?
He satisfies, He satisfies
He satisfies my desire
Great is the measure of my Father's love"

Mission trip

Guys pray with me.

I wanna go to the mission trip to Thailand in September, but a few obstacles. Having taken a week off in June, remains to be seen if I can go for another week so soon. Please let there be enough money for the trip. And let my desire for this trip be even greater. =]

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

'All coheres in Him'

"That you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light."
Colossians 1:10-12

Lord let me live in the shadow of Your wings, and worthy and pleasing onto You.
I want to bear good fruit in work I do for You daily.
I want to grow in Your knowledge by meditating on Your word.
I want to be strengthened and blessed by Your power to live my life for You.
I want to have endurance and patience in doing what You have set out for me.
I want to appreciate You daily by giving thanks for everything.
When the time comes, I want to be worthy of my inheritance in Your Kingdom.


"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
Colossians 1:17

"Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."
John 1:3

"In Him we live, and move, and have our being."
Acts 17:28

Thank you for making things work the way they do. For You are my Maker.

When do we pray?


Let us not wait till we are desperate before seeking God. God is not out 'Get Out of Jail' card. Seek Him daily in good times or bad, and see if He does not supply your every need.
Click picture to enlarge

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

The Divine Mind

"Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?"
Romans 11:34

"My word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."
Isaiah 55:11

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."
1 Corinthians 2:9

Lord I acknowledge that Your ways and thoughts are higher than mine. Lord help me to accept this and allow me to follow Your will. I believe Your word is all-powerful and I claim upon Isaiah 55:11 in my life. Speak to me Lord, and let me achieve Your purpose and desire. I must realise that I cannot begin to fathom what You have prepared for me. I still have trepidatiion, but I pray I will follow-through. May I pay attention to Your attentiveness to me, that I may dwell in Your presence forever.


"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, the good that the Lord has prepared for those who wait on Him to hear His voice: 'I am the Potter and you are the clay.'

Jesus take me in Your hand and make me all that You want me to be.

Jesus help me understand my purpose and what You can do through me, fulfilling my destiny."

Monday, June 21, 2004

'You are always on my mind'

Great Elvis number, but more accurately, this is what God is saying to us, every moment of the day. We occupy His thoughts because we are the apple of His eye, and He is waiting for us to speak to Him. Just think: right now He's on standby just in case we need to speak to Him. We're that precious to Him.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made."
Psalm 139:4a

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Psalm 139:23-24

"I waited patiently for the Lord, he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet upon a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."
Psalm 40:1-2

"For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

"In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will."
Ephesians 1:11

Lord I fervently appreciate that I am at the foremost of Your thoughts. I praise You and pray that You might cleanse me of iniquity and anxiety, and guide me on Your path.

I have lost count of the times You delivered me despite my unfaithfulness, and made me an example and beneficiary of Your divine grace and amazing love.

The past few days You have been speaking to me about a great plan for my life. Frankly, I can't wait to hear more.

Thank you for choosing me, and that I am "predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will".

Amen!


"Jesus, Lover of my soul
Jesus, I will never let you go
You've taken me from the miry clay
Set my feet upon the rock, and now I know

I love You, I need You
Though my world may fall I'll never let You go
My Saviour, my closest Friend
I will worship You until the very end"

Sunday, June 20, 2004

Staying Alert

"Better to live on a corner of a roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife."
Proverbs 25:24

"Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.... You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."
Matthew 24:42, 44

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak."
Matthew 26:41

Lord I want to be receptive to your presence daily. I know You are with me, and I want to honour You with each decision I make daily. I need to depend on Your strength as I cannot achieve anything by myself.

Help to keep vigil so I may remain steadfast and not fall into temptation and go astray. Let me not be found away from Your presence.

Create in me a clean heart, O Lord. And renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from Thy presence, O Lord. And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.

Restore onto me, the joy of my salvation. And renew a right spirit within me.


And help me find an unquarrelsome wife! Ha! =]

The Breath of God

"Why do you complain to him that he answers none of man's words? For God does speak - now one way, now another - though man may not perceive it."
Job 33:13-14

"It is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding."
Job 32:8

Lord I sincerely hunger for Your presence in my life, and pray that I can make a deeper impact for you. I know You will answer me. In whatever way, but make me perceptive and receptive to Your word. Help me be patient for Your answer, for You say good things come to those who wait.

Lord let Your breath touch me that I may understand Your good and perfect will.

Lord I seek Your answer, but yet am fearful of what the answer might be. Help me put myself wholly in Your hands.

Thursday, June 17, 2004

Simply believe

"Where can I go to escape your spirit? Where can I flee to escape your presence?"
Psalm 139:7

"My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Exodus 33:14

"Don’t be afraid, for I will protect you. I call you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I am with you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned."
Isaiah 43:1-2

First, a very real and important truth. When you ask God for something, ie petition, God basically has three answers:
1. No, it's not good for you.
2. Later, at a more appropriate time.
3. I'll give you something better.
Learn to accept God's good and perfect will, even if it's not what you want.

OK now devotion proper. I will affirm God's presence in my life daily.

The psalmist David seems to realise how futile it is to flee from God.
It's futility is two-fold:
1. God is omni-present is He is always with you.
2. In the first place, why would we want to be away from him?

God has explicitly proclaimed that His presence will go with us, and He will give us rest. Hallelujah!

Secondly, to be away from God and His will is the WORST that could happen. It means you are not dissimilar to any non-believer, trying to do everything in your own strength.

"Fear not!", God says. He has redeemed, selected and called us individually, and we are His. Through toil and trouble, cauldron bubble, HE WILL BE THERE. All we have to do is turn to him in a Shakespearean soliloquy ie prayer.

That is God's promise and commitment. And He keeps His promises. =]

True believing

"The Lord says, 'Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he is loyal to me. When he calls out to me, I will answer him. I will be with him when he is in trouble; I will rescue him and bring him honor. I will satisfy him with long life, and will let him see my salvation.'"
Psalm 91:14-16

"God is our secure shelter; he is truly our helper in times of trouble."
Psalm 46:1

"If anyone loves me, he will obey my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him."
John 14:23

How wonderful that God promises countless times that if we just call on His name, He will be our "ever-present help". He will answer our call, deliver and honour us, and give us salvation. He is our rescuer and protector, and we have no reason to fear adversity because He is on our side.

What struck me was that we can glorify Him, because we love Him, just by obeying His teaching. And HE will come to US! What an honour!

This is sooooo badly what I want. Help me to believe wholeheartedly, and seek You the Giver, not just what You can give to me.

I've run alone too long; I want to run with you!

Very good news

Well for thos who haven't heard, NS liability for in-service personnel ie me, has been cut by two months. A pleasant surprise, but guess it hasn't hit home yet. Why do I suspect that somehow God has a plan for these two months for me? =]
New ORD: 9 Oct 2005!

Saturday, June 12, 2004

Shameless flogging

Excuse me while I indulge in the above-mentioned.
I'm going for the Singtel SMS Shootout trials at 4pm Somerset tmr. Anyone wanna sign up? Other weekends are negotiable I'm sure.

Sunday, June 06, 2004

Movement update

OK guysI'll make this quick. I've been posted to a top secret unit sent on an infiltration mission to Terengganu. There we will dispel Muslim hardliners' norms of fun, and basically enjoy ourselves. 7788 SAB (Singapore Active Bummers) is the unit's name, and we'll secretly play beach soccer, swim and snorkel, just to get the lay of the land. We're dealing with a highly repressive, patriarchal proletariat. We will prevail. Should i find the battlefield too fun and not return, remember me. However i expect to return on the 11th - eensy weensy thing called AWOL. Till then!

Thursday, June 03, 2004

Church Camp

I'm really expecting a lot from this church camp, especially since i missed the last one. Pray that I can really receive God's touch.
"And in all that, we shall have fun." - 1 SIR creed

Ole!

Wow had a most fun day playing street soccer. Thanks jeremy and danny for joining us. Scored a hat-trick in a match, thanks to Duncan's (Zidane's) incisive vision. Then went for haircut at Lily's and walked from Far East to Dhoby Ghaut with kai. But dang, back to work today...

In other news, I joined the Singtel SMS Shootout for $5.25. Money goes to charity, so I don't mind. But perhaps I can win the fastest finger game? Got the whole of Church Camp to practise!