danielau's Xanga

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 11:50:37 GMT

I am truly overwhelmed to see how amazing, how wonderful and how marvelous God is! So many times I've just focused on the problems and lost my eye sight! I could not see a big God because of my own ignorance. If only I would spend time meditating upon His Word, trust Him with all my heart and step out in faith, I would have experienced miracles after miracles, rising up from glory to glory and know Him even better.

Faith is not just FACT, but also ACT. I want to learn how to act with faith. All things are possible with God, I want to grow in faith, because my Lord is faithful yesterday, today and forevermore.

If I happen to build Him a church one day, I want to see the whole church to walk by faith. A church that has strong foundation in the Word, knows all the promises He has in the bible, and act on them! We will see miracles and salvations everyday, because this is the church of the living God.

With GOD, all things are POSSIBLE. Without FAITH, it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him!

Friday, June 03, 2005

Fri, 03 Jun 2005 14:31:57 GMT

Summer is a season full of traps...

I do not know if this is just coincidence.. I just so happened to see all my friends are trapped in this thing called RELATIONSHIP.

To be honest, I was tempted too. I thank God for His grace, that now I know what He wants me to do.

I will not consider any relationship until 2007. I know I need to write this down here cuz I know one day I might forget. This is a vow I'm making to God. And I should keep this vow as it has been made. Numbers 30:1-3

I pray that as these 2 years are consecreted to God, He will take this period of time to mould me and shape me so much, to a person that He can use so much for His kingdom one day, because by that time, this life will be so devoted to Him. I also pray that my relationship with Him will grow so much, that I can be a good friend of Him, a man that runs after Him, a man that is so in love with Him. I pray that by that time I will truly know His heart and be so obedient to Him because I know I can never be satisfied by the gifts but the Giver Himself. Oh God, search my heart Lord and consecret it...

I pray this in the name of the perfector of our faith, Jesus Christ, AMEN.

Monday, May 09, 2005

Mon, 09 May 2005 13:26:15 GMT

Are there real friends in church today? Can they be found?

I have been very encouraged by a new Chrisitian brother lately. He doesn't come from a background where he would automatically share a lot of things about himself to others. But he has changed. I thank God for him.

He is so transparent about himself now. He is willing to share about his struggles in his spiritual walk, allowing people to guide him and teach him, and pray for him. It's really not an easy thing to do, it's a time where you are broken, vulnerable to your brothers and sisters. But this is great! He has grown a lot, and keeps growing. One of the reasons is that he has got trust in the people he shares things to. He takes the risks and he reaps the harvest. He believes in friendships.

I can hardly find friendship within Christian leaders today. Maybe they don't see you as a friend, but more like a customer. Customers are always right, that's why they give priority to you.They care for you because they love you and also because of their vision of reaching out. To be honest, I do think they really love the people.I am very sure. But, they have lost trust in friends. Many of them no more longer believe in friendships. Their excuse is, sharing about ownself is not edifying, letting people to see a leader having struggles does not build people up. But the fact is, they are not even sharing to the people who have the same level of faith as them, even their leaders sometimes.

What did Paul say about this? He would boast about His own weaknesses!

So many Christian leaders can work together without real relationship. There's no accountability, no transparency. They have the 'Don't touch my life' kind of mentality. I would say some of them are not healed from past hurts, they dare not try anymore after being hurt. We are called one body of Christ, we are one family. But I don't think we are even friends! What a shame! God created friendship!

John 15

¹²I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you. ¹³And here is how to measure it--the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you obey me. ¹⁵I no longer call you servants, because a master doesn't confide in his servants. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.¹²I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you. ¹³And here is how to measure it--the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you obey me. ¹⁵I no longer call you servants, because a master doesn't confide in his servants. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

This is the real Lord's prayers. Jesus called us his friends and He told us everything that the Father told Him.

Are we like Jesus? Are we, after being Christians for many years, we built our own walls and do not allow people to enter. People don't feel they can follow you if they don't think you are real. Are you real to your cell group members?Discipleship is all about leading by example. People won't be impressed by what you can do, what who you really are. How can you mentor someone if yourself are not being mentored. Let's take down our 'spiritual' mask today.

This is what I learn about authentic fellowship from Rick Warren.

Authentic fellowship is not superficial, surface-level chit-chat. It is genuine, heart-to-heart, sometimes gut-level, sharing. It happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives -- when they share their hurts, reveal their feelings, confess their failures, disclose their doubts, admit their fears, acknowledge their weaknesses, and ask for help and prayer.

Of course, being authentic requires both courage and humility. It means facing our fear of exposure, of rejection, and of being hurt again. Why would anyone take such a risk? Because it’s the only way to grow spiritually and maintain emotional health. The Bible says, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed” (James 5:16, Msg). We only grow by taking risks, and the most difficult risk of all is to be honest with ourselves and with others.

I write this entry with a lot of emotions, because one of my friends who has just accepted Christ is being hurt badly. How can a new Christian be hurt by old mature Christians. Cuz i think the old mature Christians are sometimes more selfish.

May God speak to you through this entry. May we be so broken and vulnerable before God and people, even with all our weaknesses exposed, so that His name will be glorified, His kingdom may go no end.

Thursday, May 05, 2005

Thu, 05 May 2005 10:06:46 GMT

This is what I learned from my quiet time today. In my quiet time today, I realise God loves us in so many ways. He not only died for us, not only gave us eternal life but also give us purpose and strength to live. He blesses us with all His qualities too. He gives us His creativity. He gives us His Spirit. He gives us His love. And all that He has we can claim because He made us His child and He is not a reluctant Father. Today I truly understand how much He wishes to give from His conversation with Moses. I have learned that Moses' prayers are single out from people to be answered because he has an intimate relationship with God. It again reminds me that prayer is all about the relationship, not the reward. Because like Moses, when he has the relationship with God (Of course he always sought to please God), God can answer anything. And, how God spoke to him was funny. He was like showing off. He asked Moses, Is the Lord's arm too short? It is just like asking, do you think My arm is too short. Let me show you.. then, He just performed the miracle.

Got inspired by a new dimension of the parable of the prodigal son last night. The father had 2 sons. The younger son knew what he had, but did not know who he was. That was why he took all he could from home, but not remembering he is the son of his dad, the identity. I know you'll get the spiritual meaning of it. But, let's also look at the elder son. He knew who he was, but he didn't know what he had. That was why He grumbled and actually got angry when the younger son came back and the father had a celebration for him. Hey, sometimes we are just like him! After serving God for so many years, we know what God has called us into His righteousness, to be His sons and daughters and daily He will break us.. to be more like Him, He changes our attitude and characters.. that's why all the suffering comes in.. this is good! But God also made us inherit all that He has for us. He has a lot for us! We need to actually KNOW it. He gives us His creativity and we may be more effective. He gives us wisdom. He gives us His Spirit. He gives us whatever blessings that you could name of... (Not just spiritual blessings) The problem is we are to focused with who we are, but neglected He is the God of the universe, we can have all that He has, if only we ask. Hallelujah!

Thank You God!

Sunday, May 01, 2005

Sun, 01 May 2005 22:05:54 GMT

I think the best thing in life is having the Holy Spirit as my senior partner. It is an adventure...

For the past few days I have been challenged by the Word of God, to really live a life walking in the Spirit. From time to time, I constantly remind myself that God is with me, and He will guild me and give me words to speak, and really change me. In the past 2 days, although it's tough, it's like... I don't really have my own agendas. Yes, I still plan.. but I do allow God to intervene. I think the hard thing is always to deny myself and yield to His Spirit in not just one or two days.. where it should be a daily thing..

Oh God. I thank you for being so real in my life. You have filled my life with surprises from heaven.. and also challenges unpredicted. The most beautiful thing is that, You have always been with me, so willing to take part in my life. I pray that as I learn to walk closer and closer to You, You will give me discipline. Sometimes I may slip.. Just hold me close to You. Thank You, my great and loving God. Make my heart Your dwelling place, that I may become a carrier of Your holy presence. I worship You...

Monday, April 25, 2005

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 13:39:52 GMT

I am a person who always needs remindings, even after lessons I still tend to forget what I've learned.

I have been taught, prayer is good. Praying is like spiritual breathing. Prayer is essential. Prayers can bring forth revival. Prayers can help you walk in God's will. Prayers...etc... And the list goes on...

But to be honest, I struggled to pray. My mind always slipped off during coorporate prayers. Although I was still praying everyday, I know I wasn't enjoying it because my prayers were as short as possible. There were so many things to pray for. I got tired. Sometimes once in a while, my prayers were answered and I always thanked God. I prayed and prayed for the reasons above. I knelt and prayed, I didn't feel anything. I thought I wasn't serious enough until I was strucked when I heard this,

The situations that I was in just show one thing, the shallowness of my relationship with God.

The goal of prayer is not reward. The goal of prayer is relationship.

After I reflected and meditated on this truth, I started to desire for God. I started to love praying. I prayed with my love for God. I felt my walk with God improved. Now, I love talking to Him so much. When I do my work, I talk to Him. When I take shower I talk to Him. I can talk to Him all day long. I cannot pray enough. And amazingly God starts to speak to me. He reveals things to me that I should do or I should know. I find it easier to obey Him in small things because I love to still talk to Him. My friendship with God grows! Prayer is a dialogue. God wants to speak to us too! This is really wonderful!

The goal of prayer is not reward. The goal of prayer is relationship.

As you desire for this relationship with God, I pray that you will pray more. Just start talking to Him now. It will grow.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Wed, 20 Apr 2005 08:45:16 GMT

Speaking of church meeting, what makes a difference to a good meeting and a bad meeting? Is it the programmes? The flow? The excitement of the crowd? They help to make a meeting good. But I believe there's only one thing that matters.

It is God's presence.

How many people have missed the point? How many times we just neglect Holy Spirit in our lives, and in our services? How sad? Let's again examine, why do you meet together in church every week? To ne honest, I find many people come to church for fellowship. This is not wrong. But I think the primary purpose is to meet God.

Friends, you have to desire for God's presence. God cannot help you with that, because that is your own desire. God cannot force you to love Him.

I have just listened to two very good sermons about God's presence. You may want to watch them too. Visit http://www.chc.org.sg Check out the video session <The ark of God> and <Sacrifice of Praise>. I am sure you will be blessed.

Saturday, April 09, 2005

Sat, 09 Apr 2005 00:20:13 GMT

I think God is showing me simple answers to my complicated questions.

I have been asking God what should I do with my walk with Him. I felt there was something missing here and there and I didn't know what that was. I thought it was a good devotional life. No, not really... More bible reading.. Not really.. Did I miss out any truth.. Not too.. More discipline and self-control... Don't think so. I have triad so hard.. but always failed. I have got enough of methods and laws to follow...

What I mentioned above are good things, but I don't they were what I needed, until God said to me. There is only one law to follow, is to love Me with all your heart, all your heart and all your soul.

The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.

Think about it today, how much do you love God?

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Wed, 06 Apr 2005 16:58:40 GMT

This is my prayer, I want to just run after God, and don't look back
Lord, You are all I want...

Running after You...

Your Word is a light unto my path
Your Love guides me through my darkest night
And even though sometimes Your ways
I cannot understand
I'll never walk away because my future's
In Your hands

I don't care what people will say
I'm running after You
I won't turn back and go their way
Coz I'm running after You
Yeah I'm running after You
I'm running after You
(I will run to You)

I don't care what people will say
I'm running after You
I won't turn back and go their way
Coz I'm running after You
Don't matter what may come my way
I'm running after you
It's You I'm following today
I'm running after You

I'm running after You

Tuesday, April 05, 2005

Tue, 05 Apr 2005 17:07:55 GMT

I struggle to write this entry.... because I don't know if my life is pleasing God...

Lord, can You tell me where to find you.. How can I know if you are smiling at what I am doing. My thoughts, are they pleasing unto You? What I do for You, are they touching Your heart. I can run for a thousand miles to find You, will You be found? I can fast and pray, yet cannot feel Your presence and peace from You. I can imagine Your loving arms are waiting for me, yet I know I don't have the courage to run to You. What should I do, Lord?

There are no answers for all the questions above, unless I fully surrender myself to You. I know there's nothing more I can do to please you until I surrender. Would You come when I give up all my rights, which I never owned, to allow You to be the King and the Lord of my life. Would You take control in all that I have and all that I am? Let me be convinced that You are all that I have, so that I will know You are all that I need. I yield to You Lord. Holy Spirit, please fall on me. I worship You.