Tag God

Faith activates a response from God

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Most of us would have read or heard about the miracle healing of the woman who was bleeding for 12 years from the gospel.

For those unfamiliar, this story is about a sick woman who believed that she would receive her healing by merely touching the cloak of Jesus (c.f. Mark 5:25-34).

She did just that when Jesus passed by her and true enough, her bleeding immediately stopped.

Faith touches God

What is interesting about this miracle was the response of Jesus. He turned around in the crowd and asked,“Who touched my clothes?”

It is interesting because there were many others around Jesus who were touching him. Even his question caused his disciples to be puzzled.

But strangely enough, no one else but that sick woman received her miracle. And we can safely surmise that there were others possibly needing a miracle of some kind.

So why did Jesus responded only to her touch? And what made her so special? FAITH. It was her faith.

Have faith in God 

Similarly, many of us may pray to God just as many in the crowd were touching Jesus. But are our prayers made with faith or out of a religious habit?

Therefore, when it comes to answering prayers, it is not our needs that activates a response from God. It is our faith.

And in particularly, God responds in a real and powerful way to those who have the faith to believe in Him and expect results.

So today, are you in need of a miracle? Or is there a prayer that has not been answered for a long time?

Remember it is our faith that will get God’s attention amongst the crowd and activate a response from Him. So have faith and believe for your miracle.

I know that He loves me

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My trip to Sydney was nothing short of perfect!

It was the perfect getaway with God. And one fully instigated by Him.

Everything was arranged and paid for, from the air ticket to the accommodation.

He even got me fetched from and driven to the airport!

If that was not enough, He even blessed me with a couple of hundred dollars for expenses through a thoughtful friend.

From the start to the end of the trip, I was unreservingly lavished with His (practical) love through His people.

I guess God knew I needed a reminder and a fresh outpouring of His love since it is so easy to overlook or ignore my own needs (emotional and spiritual) in the midst of all the doing.

True enough, I met God there especially during the 4-day Presence Conference. He renewed me, refocused me and rejuvenated me.

In particularly, I felt a release of faith upon my inner being. I was comforted in His presence and assured of His love for me.

I know that He loves me; that He is and has been there for me even in my weakness. He is faithful and I’ll trust in His love.

I’ll wait for His promises to come to pass. I’ll keep the faith because a vision that is impossible requires faith. If it doesn’t, that it is not God-given.

We’re one year old!

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Last month, my wife and I celebrated our first year marriage anniversary. Yes! We’re one year old!

I believe for most of that one year, God had been molding our character and unity as a couple. And He still is.

We learnt to be independent from our parents and at the same time, to be depended on God together; instilling steel into the back bone of our marriage.

Not everything has been ‘and-they-lived-happily-ever-after’ though. We do have our crazy moments where we fall from lovers to enemies in an instant; from hugging to strangling  each other. Haha…

For most parts of those moments, they primarily stemmed from our differences in personality, gender traits and personal habits. For instance, I’m the outgoing and adventurous sort while my wife is more reserved and safe.

So you can imagine how we can unknowingly or knowingly unnerve each other. That’s explosive couple-discovery! Haha…

Fun as it may seems but there’s no doubt that marriage is hard work. There are loads of loving and forgiving to do each day on top of the practical challenges that need to be tackled. 

Nonetheless, I give thanks for an awesome first year (and the latter years ahead)  of marriage. Indeed, God is good!

Ten years on…

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Ten years ago or a decade back, my life was a huge heap of a mess.

Back then

I was wasting away on party drugs.

On almost any given night, I was popping ecstasy and snorting ketamine just to chase that next thrill.

I was also delusional about the whole concept of love especially after my family broke up.

That left me incapable of love and commitment. Hence, one-night stands were my preferred way of relating to the opposite sex.

I was just some young, wayward and uneducated kid on his way to total destruction. 

I felt alone and saw no hope in life.

Here now

Ten years on, my life is full of renewed hope and purpose!

I am set free from all the vices that had a grip on me including smoking and drinking.  And the thrill I now chase is being in the presence of God.  

Now I’m committed in marriage with a beautiful lady. And the whole concept of love makes perfect sense.

God is love and only in Him can we experience and offer that true unconditional love.

Unfortunately, now I’m  no longer that young. Haha…

But He has made me forward-looking as I know that I’m an empowered child of God on his way to live his life to the fullest of his potential according to His promises.

And now with Him, I know I’m not alone as I’m part of the Church- my spiritual family and I see a great future lying ahead for me. 

God is good!

My 2010 in a Glance

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1. My unforgettable answered prayer

“When your mind is open, the teacher appears.” In this instance, my mentor (someone who is ahead of me in experience- done that, did that) appeared.

This is unforgettable because of the divine manner and timeliness that God answered this prayer which led us to crossed paths in this season of my life.

2. My greatest trial

This has got to be the unpleasant incident that happened at work. In any case, I know I’ve passed the test and trial. I didn’t react but responded with love; choosing to put my trust in God.

3. My greatest breakthrough

My ministry with City News. I’ve been shown great favour by my editors who have entrusted me with ‘high level’ tasks.

I’m really thankful for the God-given opportunities to serve in a greater capacity. And how can I not mention my maiden full (42km) marathon run?? I did it! Yeah!!

4. My most impactful decision made

Saying “I do” to my wife before God, our family and friends. What other decision could be more significant than that? Especially with the wife sitting right beside me while I’m blogging this. Haha…

5. My happiest and elating moment

It has to be the moment when I first set my eyes on my wife on our wedding day. This was at her home during the part of the day where I had to fetch her. My eyes welled up with tears of joy and gratitude. She’s a gift from heaven!

6. My lesson(s) learnt in 2010

Just let God be God. Know your position. He’s the Commander-in-Chief, and I’m the soldier. So I ought to leave the strategising and orchestrating to Him and not try so hard in taking over that role from Him.

I seek His lead and just follow. It’s His battle and His dreams, not mine. He’ll bring about victory with me at rest. 

In God We Trust

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Recently, I had a conversation with someone on the subject of tithing.

I believe that was a divine moment arranged to encourage that person to develop more trust in God, in particularly in the area of finances.

Trusting God

For certain, it is not uncommon for most of us to be preoccupied with money and practical needs (which is valid). Hence, it is always unnerving for anyone to even consider tithing.

And it does not help that our human reasoning would alert us to the fact that it seems ridiculous to part with money in order to alleviate one’s financial security.

But that’s what faith or trusting in God is. It goes beyond our reasoning. However, we can trust in our Abba God’s word to us (c.f. Matthew 6:25-34).

Tithing by faith

When we tithe by faith, we’re simply acknowledging Him as our God who provides and protects us as He has with Abraham, Jacob and Isaac and Jacob.

More than just parting with a tenth of our monthly income, it establishes our relationship with our covenant-keeping God; placing our trust in Him to sustain us and not in money.

All of us need money in order to survive and make our livelihood.  But by tithing, we put money in its rightful position as our servant and not master.

More importantly, we put ourselves in our rightful position- in His Loving Hands- that declares out loud that “In God we trust!”

Making $ense out of Money

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Like it or not, all of us need money.

We need money to meet our personal or family needs, to run a business, to fund a humanitarian project and even our missions work.

Clearly, money is not merely an ethereal felt need. It is a real need. And whether poor or rich, there is no denying that everyone needs money.

Though not life’s most important need, it’s significance should not be taken lightly.

More about money

Money originated as a commodity; it is a medium of exchange and a means to an end.

The truth about money is that it is inanimate; neither good or bad. In other words, it is morally neutral.

Money takes on the character of the person who owns it and controls it. It amplifies what is in the heart of the owner.

A car in the hands of a responsible and careful driver would make it a good mode of transportation, but in the hands of a reckless and drunk driver, the car becomes a mode of destruction endangering lives.

Similarly, a rifle in the hands of a soldier is a tool for security, but placed in the hands of a terrorist, it becomes a deadly tool of terror and evil.

In other words, whether money is branded evil or good is determined by who owns it and how it is used.

Creating money to do more

Imagine with me- “What if most of the existing wealth or money in the world were in the hands of God-fearing people?”

Think about the ease churches would have in sending out missionaries to other countries or the readiness to set up businesses to create employment for the needy or what about just feeding the poor and hungry. The list goes on and on.

Take 48-year-old Mr. Petrus Carstens as an example. His desire to truly make a difference with ordinary lives convinced him to make a drastic decision to become a full-time investor over his pastoring duties for a 4,500 strong church in South Africa.

According to the Sunday Times’ (dated 16 May 2010) article- “Ex-pastor turns evangelist of wealth”, Mr. Carstens was a pastor in South Africa for 15 years till 2002. But later, he realised that besides praying for the poor, he could actually do more by creating wealth to better and further help the people.

“I want to use this money (generating from his investments) for economic empowerment programmes in the developing world,” said Mr. Carstens who has successfully built up an asset base exceeding US$2.4 million within two years since he started investing in 2004 and currently owns 10 companies.

I believe there are many other Christians like Mr. Carstens that are stepping up for the Church into the marketplace in reaching its rightful potential as the Head and not the tail.

God is never opposed to us prospering or getting rich, it is only the wrongful attitude towards handling and using money that He condemns.

With a kingdom mentality and an understanding of the role of money in view of God’s perspective as a means to an end and resource to make a real sustainable impact, we ought to be bold to seek the Lord in prospering us for the sake of the gospel and the many lives that we can potentially be a blessing to.

What a Divine Wedding Gift!

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I have an amazing personal testimony to share; one that attests of God’s providence and goodness!

My wife and I had discussed about going for another overseas trip during the June holidays to make up for what we deemed as a not-enough and too-short honeymoon.

However, with us in the midst of fulfilling our “Arise & Build” church-building fund, we deliberated and mutually decided to postpone that second trip.

The wedding gift

Not too long after that, I was having an overseas tele-conversation with a good friend of mine. And that was when he told me that he had prepared a surprise wedding gift for me.

Can you guess what it was?

Yup! It was a wedding gift that comprised of fully paid two-way air tickets including accommodation at the destination that my wife and I had initially planned to go!

So this June, my wife and I will be going on a sponsored second honeymoon trip. Amazing.

Coincidence? I doubt so.

It is more believable to attribute this perfectly-timed and detailed-fit gift to God than it is to luck or chance.

What this tells me is that my God is good and He loves me (us) so!

How I ended my 2009

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Now with one foot forward or five days into 2010, I’m thankful for how 2009 has ended for me.

In particularly, I like how I was able to complete my first 21km Standard Chartered Run and go for a mission trip to Jakarta.

Both took place in the month of December.

The breakthru’ run

The half-marathon run was a huge test for me and I was pitting against myself; pushing my limits and facing my fears.

And words could not describe adequately how I felt after I had crossed the finishing line.

If I could use one sentence, I would say: I feel like a winner!

The breakthru’ trip

For my mission trip, this was my first representing City Harvest Church (CHC) and also a first going with my fiancee.

This trip was part of a series of mission trip to support an affiliated church- GPdI Lippo Cikarang Church in its first-ever Emerge Youth Camp.

In this camp, I was given the tasks of planning and conducting life-skills workshops for inter-personal skills and public speaking.

However, what was significant for me was to be given an opportunity to share my testimony to the youths during one of the bible-teaching sessions.

Besides giving God the rightful recognition, I sincerely hoped that it would have encouraged them to know the depth of God’s love and His life-transforming power.

The Principle of Financial Sowing

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I am a firm believer in the universal principle of sowing in the aspect of finances.

This principle of sowing is biblical and similar to that of contribution- an overriding principle of societal trust.

It’s the intent to create value instead of destroying, and to give back instead of take.

We are owners of nothing

It is a fact and reality that all of us are born on this earth with nothing and eventually, we will also leave this earth with nothing.

Nothing on this earth ( which includes our finances) truly belong to us as we will leave them all behind upon our demise.

Since that is true, it leaves with us with a logical response to use whatever we have, especially our finances wisely and purposefully during our lifetime.

Our approach in living life should be one that aims to take advantage of our God-given “window” of opportunity to make difference and impact in our generation by readily giving back.

Going against conventional wisdom

For most of us, this principle of giving clearly goes against conventional wisdom that teaches us to hoard and splurge on ourselves.

This has led us in becoming willing slaves to consumerism in our modern society.

Evidently, we have allowed consumerism to define who we are; which equates to our personal happiness with the consumption and the purchase of material possessions.

Therefore, an effective cure towards unhealthy consumerism is adopting the principle of sowing in one’s lifestyle.

Living a life of giving

William Colgate, the founder of the Colgate-Polmalive Company, maker of soaps and dental-care products was a regular giver.

Throughout his long and successful business career, he gave not merely one-tenth of the earnings of Colgate’s soap products; but he gave two-tenths, then three-tenths, and finally five-tenths of all his income to the work of God in the world.

During the later days of his life he revealed the origin of his devotion to the idea of tithing.

Since his death in 1857, he left behind a company that is successful to this day and a college that bears his name.

In 2006, Warren Buffett announced that he would give $37 billion (85 per cent of his net worth) to charity.

Two years later in 2008, Forbes ranked him as the richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of approximately $62 billion.

Clearly, his net worth did not deplete with his generous giving, instead he reaped more from what he had sowed and remained massively wealthy.

This is the universal principle of sowing at work.

Reaping from the giving

Many of us (including myself) are no where near Warren Buffet’s net worth, but I believe we can still start sowing whatever little ‘seeds’ of finances we may have.

Personally, I started sowing nine years ago. My main practise of this is in the form of a monthly tithe to my local church.

Since then, I have experienced steady and accelerated growth in my personal finances with promotions and salary increments.

I know I’m have been blessed as I do not have any material lack. Now I also do not need to borrow on occasions like I had to in the past, just so that I could tide through the rest of the month.

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:25

I had also experienced many miracles of practical providence from various avenues that helped me to be where I am today.

For instance, my fully-sponsored degree education and love offerings when I was unemployed whilst transiting between jobs.

Start sowing your ‘seeds’ of finances

Having experienced this principle at work, I realised that my earning capacity and value-add does increase with my desire and my readiness to give generously.

However, please do not be misunderstand that I’m promoting giving to help others with the intent to gain something back or to expect  financial returns.

My reasons for citing those examples including mine is to attest that giving isn’t that horrifying as one might think.

In fact, it is so…ul rewarding.

Even if one is not a Christian, I believe this principle is universally applicable. And for instance, anyone can start sowing regularly (a tithe or one-tenth) towards a humanitarian cause or some charitable programme.

True living comes from real giving. We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give.

Let’s start sowing!