He's always behind the scenes

to my brothers and sisters in Christ,

i read dear pet's previous post, and realise that lately, i've also been experiencing the same spiritual low. my quiet times seem to perpetually end with my head laying hopelessly on my pillow, softly uttering: "Where are you God?"

i've no particular verse to share, and i'll keep this short (because i'm stuck in army anyway and there's not much time left!). God really taught me a lesson on intimacy with Him today.

intimacy with God doesn't necessarily mean that you'll always feel emotionally and spiritually engaged. in any relationship, there will always be ups and downs. those are alright - during the spiritual highs you feel fully refreshed and ready, during the spiritual lows God stands up for you and you break out in praise. But the problem is with those spiritual 'level grounds', where there's just everyday life, there's nothing particularly exciting.

sometimes God moves in a way that's truly fascinating and awe-inspiring: He leads your friend to believe in Him, or He intervenes miraculously. But most of the time for people like myself (and perhaps you), it's not like that.

day by day, i've learned to realise, that we should also see God in the background - behind the scenes.

last week, while i was confined in army camp, i decided to help my friend to wash his muddy field pack. We all had to wash our field packs so as to pass the imminent inspection by the instructors. My friend had booked out for the week, but I was still in camp, so I decided to give of myself through an act of service. So his field pack was cleaned. But for the entire week, it's as if he never realised - he's never said anything to me, no word of thanks whatsoever, maybe he never even noticed the difference.

Well, i'm not in it for the gratitude. But i think God used this simple example in my life to illustrate to me an important point - God Himself helps us to do many things that we may not even notice or give Him thanks for.

paratroopers need to pack their parachutes. God is the one who packs the parachutes for us - so that when we fall, we have someone to rely on. God is the one who shields us from many spiritual attacks each and every day - it's just that even before we meet the adversary, he has already been severly wounded, or perhaps defeated, by our Father in heaven. God ensures that the temptations that we meet each day are not too difficult for us (1 Cor 10:13).

He's there, behind the scenes, providing for you.
He's there, in the front line, taking down enemies before you meet them.

So instead of praying 'God where are you?"
i prayed for once.
'thanks God, for doing many things which i do not notice each day.
please open my eyes to the things that you do (: "

in Christ name,
amen

Psalms 13 How long, O Lord?

Isaiah 6: 1-11

"Woe to me!" I cried, "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."

Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips, your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

He said, "Go and tell this people,

Be ever hearing, but never understanding,

be ever seeing, but never perceiving.

Make the heart of this people calloused,

make their ears dull,

and close their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears.

understand with their hearts,

and turn and be healed."

Then I said, "For how long, O Lord?"

And he answered,

"Until the cities lie ruined

and without inhabitant

until the houses are left deserted

and the fields ruined and ravaged."

Lately I have been wondering why God seems to be so far away. Everyday has been a monotonous drone of school work, activities etc. and though I've continued to do QT, it just feels as though all I am doing is just going through the motions. 

And as I knelt down today before the Lord, bringing before Him a whole host of worries, anxieties, requests, frustrations, pleading... Suddenly I just felt so weary. I had been praying for comfort and strength, but my faith seemed to be a mere flicker of flame amidst all the dark, looming  'giants' in life. My heart and mind was in turmoil, but then I turned to Isaiah 6, next on my reading chapter for the day for the Old Testament. 

In the presence of the Almighty God, even Isaiah, a holy, righteous prophet of God, was humbled, realizing that He was 'a man of unclean lips'. The angel of the Lord then came with a piece of hot coal, and scalding his lips, told Isaiah, "your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for". When Isaiah came into the Lord's presence, all the troubles and worries were instantly forgotten, his entire person was stripped bare into utter dependence upon the Lord, his life and his salvation. 

What are we like when we come before the Lord? I've realized lately, that in facing all the obstacles and 'giants' in both my school, home and spiritual life, I've been coming to the Lord with a host of requests, asking Him for strength, comfort, peace... and all the while focusing on everything and anything, but Him. 

Why is God silent with us sometimes? Often, in the flurry of distractions and worries, we may tend to rush headlong into everything, only then at the end of the day coming into prayer before the Lord, asking Him to make it right again... but never asking Him about the right thing to do, what He wants us to do. I've suddenly started to realize the many countless instances throughout this week when I've put work first, put my pride first, put friends (yes even friends) first, before God. Those countless times when I could have stopped to say a quick prayer with a friend, or minister to those dear brothers and sisters of mine waiting at the roundabout, lonely and wrapped up in their own worlds. Or that time when I wanted to share a bible verse with a sister, then hesitated, thinking maybe now isn't the time, or she'll think I'm being strange... 

Then I realized that all this while, God has been trying to speak to me, but I haven't been listening. And so I decided to write this today, my dear brothers and sisters, to urge you and to warn you, with love. 

Are we focusing too much on the giants all around us, coming to the Lord with a whole shopping list of requests, deceiving ourselves with the comfort of lies? Or will we be like Isaiah, humbled, silent, and obedient before the Lord, realizing that our lives are utterly dependent upon Him?

Let us learn to be silent before the Lord. Let's stop focusing on all the troubles of this world, but instead just simply say, "Here am I. Send me!" And it will be a long, arduous journey ahead; the road will not be easy. But I promise you, brothers and sisters, there will be much joy - no, not happiness, for she is a fickle mistress - but true joy, that loving, loyal and everlasting companion. And for how long? "Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged."

I once read, "What does it mean to live as a child of God, to be a witness? It simply means to live in such a way that one's life would not make sense if God didn't exist." 

If God didn't exist, would our lives of schoolwork, assignments, CCAs still make sense? God's Word isn't just a medicine for healing our hurting bodies in this ravaged world, His Word makes new our bodies, changing our lives, making these hurting bodies whole and beautiful again. Being a witness doesn't mean we start engaging in propaganda to convert people, stirring up movements of hatred and violence. Rather, it starts with that simple act of childlike faith, placing our hand in His and letting Him lead the way.

I'm sorry Lord, for not hearing your voice. Teach me to be silent. Teach me to truly put you first and place my life in your hands, forever.

- Petrina

Psalms 13

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

and every day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, O Lord my God,

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"

and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

How I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord,

for he has been good to me.

Giants in our lives? Overcome them in Jesus Name!

Thoughts for the day:

John 16:33
Jesus said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

1 John 5:5
Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

1 John 4:4
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

1 John 2:14
I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Revelation 12:11
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

Reflect on the promises on God, declare them real in your life. Let them enrich you, so you may enrich others, with the promises that only HE can give. 

Reach out and touch others, win one more for Christ today!

Your fellow labourer in Christ,

-Caleb

Trust & Hope!

Thought for the day:

The Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.(Psalms 32:10b) Therefore, Be Strong & Take heart, all you who hope in the Lord! (Psalms 31:24)

Cheers,

Caleb

Not that "committed"?

Overtime, whenever I've met someone and asked if they were christians, more often than not they would reply "Yes, er, but not that committed."

Why do so many people feel that way sometimes, even christians? Believing for the sake of believe, and what more, they do realize that themselves, but remain trapped in that rut, unable to lift themselves out of it, either out of fear, doubt or just indifference. But who I am to criticize, for over a year ago, I too felt that same way. Like a lukewarm glass of water, warmed on Sundays, but rapidly cooled by the winds of doubt (Okay, bad analogy haha). (But it has been a long journey since, but nevertheless, entirely worth it ^^)

But what troubles me now, is how, as christians, can we reach out to these brothers and sisters? That used to be one of the things that kept me from evangelizing, and even now, now and then even I am unable to answer some of the questions non-christians and christians alike have posed to me. 

Still yet I wonder, what do we mean when we say, "I'm not that committed."? Is christianity a commitment? Somehow, I just can't help but feel that by considering it so, it portrays christianity like some sort of political cause, one that is pursued for some benefit or gain, or a deadweight that ties one down. Is it wrong to seek God because we don't want to end up in hell?

Yet, at any one time, has man ever searched for God with truly pure and good motives? We are still only human after all, but in the end, I believe that in our search for God, when we truly begin to know and understand Him, and let Him work in our lives, all these doubts and fears will just melt away once we focus on Him alone, and then salvation and heaven won't be a 'perk', but rather a source of hope, the one and only thing we live for, to come to this dwelling place with our Father for eternity, where there will be no more strivings, no more pain, no more tears.

Still, why is it so hard to hear God's voice? The everyday things of life, schoolwork, exams, friendships, the little annoyances, seem to fill up our lives already, and there seems to be no space for God, or even any need for Him. Then there are those moments, in church or in prayer, where we suddenly just feel His presence. But then the moment is gone, real life sets back in again, and we become reminded how hard it is to seek God, to focus on Him when there's so much going on in life already, and He seem so faraway and elusive, too 'high up' for this world. Or even, looking at the lives of OT prophets and the NT apostles, how absurd and irrational being a so-called 'strong' christian would be in society today.

But what are we looking for exactly? Does being a christian mean searching for something much higher up, becoming some uber-holy, supernatural being, denying all the things in life? Religious ascetics advocating such a lifestyle of abstaining and purging. Is this for all christians as well? 

I struggled with this at first too, wondering what it meant to take up the cross, struggling to find a balance, wondering why Christianity had to be so hard, why this so-called God's love seemed so hard to live with. But now looking back, I think many of us are looking for God in the wrong places, even in christianity itself, or have misconceptions about it. God isn't some beyond this world, faraway authority that condemns us to death just because we don't believe in Him. Through history, through the ages, He's been reaching out to us, calling us back to His side. Why didn't he then save the trouble, and just make us wired to worship Him? But as one of my brothers in the ministry once shared with me, the ultimate sign of God's greatest love for us is our freedom of choice. And there's no denying that hell exists. As abstract and conceptual as it sounds, there is only good and bad in this world, there is no middle ground. But back to the point, let's stop looking for God in 'high-up' lofty practices, but let's realize that the first place we can look, is within ourselves, because the Holy Spirit resides in us. He is already living in us, the minute we believe that and let Him in, and He is there now, speaking to us in our thoughts, prompting us as our conscience, the comforting warmth in our hearts. From here the journey starts... =)

And if it still seems so hard to believe, to know that He is there, that we aren't just deluding ourselves, remember Jeremiah 29:13-14.

"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord. "I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, " declares the Lord, "and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile."

Are we seeking God with all our heart? When we do so, He assures us that we will find Him, and not only that, He will draw us close to Him, and give us a hope and a future. And does this future mean giving up everything we have now? Yes, the Lord takes away, but remember the words of the song, "He gives and takes away"? When we give it up to Him, we're acknowledging that it all belongs to the Lord, we're laying it before His feet, not throwing it behind us and then coming to Him. And really taking up the cross, isn't in giving up the material things of life, although yes it can translate into that, but rather it's a change from within, the way we look at the things, the way we look at people, no longer as just strangers on the street, but real hurting, laughing, loving individuals whom the Lord knows one by one and whom He came down to earth in human form to die for on the cross. When we realize this, being so-called 'holy and righteous' doesn't become an obligation, chore, or restrictive anymore. On the contrary, being christian liberates us to live our lives differently, with dignity, humility, and with purpose, no longer having to be tied to the old ways of life we have become trapped in.

If you are still struggling with such doubt even now, strangely, I will tell you that I am happy for you. I pray that you will be able to find that peace that truly surpasses all understanding, in Christ. I do not believe the Lord will fault us for doubting, the whole christian walk itself is a struggle, literally clinging to God. But He will fault us if we give up trying all together. So if you are struggling now, I tell you, as Caleb has said in the earlier post, take heart! Rejoice! And have faith! Know that you can come to the Lord with all your doubts and fears, and ask Him to strengthen your faith. In fact, the stronger our faith becomes, the more the devil will try to waylay us, with those small seeds of doubts, those little whispers of skepticism. But we know that the one who is in us is stronger than the one who is in the world =)

God bless,

Petrina

Take Heart!

Hi all!

Taking Heart!

Take Heart! I know it's becoming a very trying time for all of us, but let us never forget that in everything we do, we do it for God (Colossians 3:17). Be it in studies, IAs, or just our personal quiet time with Him. Do your best for Him!

Take Heart! For the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). 

Take Heart! for the Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe (Proverbs 18:10)

Take Heart! That in all the suffering, you have friends to suffer alongst side you to encourage you all the way!

Take Heart! that we have the armour of Christ and the sword of the spirit! (Ephesians 6)

Take Heart! For the Lord your God goes with you, he will never leave nor forsake you! (Deut 31:6)

Take Heart! Press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus! (Philippians 3:14-15)

Take Heart! Do not be weary in doing good, for at a proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

Take Heart! For the hope of salvation (1 Peter 1:3)

Take Heart! For His Grace is sufficent for us and his strength made perfect in our weakness! (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Take Heart! For nothing shall ever separate us from Christ, making us conquerors in Christ (Romans 8:39)

Take Heart! For God works for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Take Heart! For our light affliction, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Take Heart! For impossible is nothing with God! (Luke 1:37)

Take Heart! For we have a lamp unto our feet, the word of the living God! (Psalms 119:105)

Take Heart! For he is with us till the end of age! (Matthew 28:20)

Take Heart! For we shall overcome, with the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony! (Revelation 12:11)

Take Heart! & I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers! (3 John 2)

God Loves You and is longing that you draw near to Him. Never forget that!!!

Let us always remember to do so even in this time of crazy workloads. 

Let us TAKE HEART! Knowing well we have the spirit of God in us. Working to change us into Christ-likeness, showing the world Christ in us, the hope of glory! (Colossians 1:27)

In Faith,

Your Humble Servant,

Caleb

God is good ALL the time

Its been a while since I last posted anything on this blog...


Anyway supz everyone : )

I just felt like blogging cause God has been too awesome. For all of you who know me, I'm mega slacker number one and well because of that, I'm drowning in my work. But still God is good :D
Don't worry, it's going to be a short post.

For all those suffering in IB with me, two words: Trust God

With my EE all crushed, tons of Bio pracs to finish, Business IA to be revised and WL to do, I should be dead by now. But well the good Lord has promised me good to me and that I WILL pull through.

Even when I have so much undone work to do, I decided to take a nice evening walk (sunsets are pretty) and I had a nice chat with God. As usual I was whining to Him about why I was so lazy but He re-directed me to

Psalm 73:

²¹ When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,

²² I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.

²³ Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.

²⁴ You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.

²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

²⁷ Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.

Yes indeed the Lord is my refuge. Remember guys even when the going gets tough, remember that the God almighty is in control. Whether you feel Him or not, He is always guiding you by your right hand. Never let Him go, let Him be your strength when you are weak. All you need to do, is ask :)

So brothers and sisters, take heart for the Lord God, our God is an awesome God

-In His name
Friendly Neighbourhood Monkey
Karlo