Wishing upon a solo beach vacay!

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. Ps 119:114 💓

Pic taken on the 9 June 2015 at Patong Beach

The Valley Of Dry Bones

It's October and the year is coming to an end soon. Looking back, I felt like I've been too busy with too many things to deal with which I don't find them too difficult at the same time.

 

I've always loved this story from the bible about dry bones coming to life, where miracle happens.

“The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones… He said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, “O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: ‘Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.’” ~ ­Ezekiel 37:1, 4-5

God always works in you and me through the Holy Spirit. He is the source of everything!

At creation, the Holy Spirit was there. At the conception of Jesus, He was there. He was there at the start of Jesus’ ministry. And He was there at the beginning of the church when Jesus told the disciples to wait for the Spirit’s power! Everything God has His hand in involves the Holy Spirit’s power.

That’s why I want you to be sure that everything you do is birthed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Because your career, business, ministry, family and everything else you put your hand to can only succeed when the hand of the Lord is upon you and His Spirit in you. Only then will you see life breathed into dead things, impossible situations turned around, the dreams of your heart come to pass and God’s Kingdom advanced in our culture!

So ask God to be part of your plans, dreams, situations and activities today. Wait on His Spirit, receive His power, remain in it and you will bear much fruit for His glory!

Prayer for the day: 

Ask God to be a part of everything you put your hand to in your life. Pray that the Holy Spirit will be your source of strength, wisdom and grace as you dedicate your life to living for Him! 

Thought of the day

I'm often taught that it is important to set the right priorities in life to ensure a good future is well secured. Perhaps I grew up with such mindset.

Never give up on dreams and visions. In other words, never give up the desire to pursue a better life because the future is in my own hands. There is absolutely no need to crash my own future with my own hands.

I don't need a luxurious lifestyle.
All I need is just a simple lifestyle with loved ones, all healthy, happy and well.

:)

Setting the heart right for the year...

Jesus says, “Do not be afraid, only believe” (Mark 5:36), and, “If you would believe you would see the glory of God” (John 11:40). God wants you to choose faith, not fear. That’s why it’s so important that you stay faithful during tough times and times of “purification by fire.”

You need to:
Keep your thoughts positive.
Don’t allow fear to grip your mind. Let the Holy Spirit fill it with visions and dreams.
Believe in the Word of God.
Keep speaking out the promises of God in your prayers, confessions, and conversations!
When you do these things, you will make it through every time of testing with a greater faith in God, a greater love of Jesus, and more of His likeness shining in your life. And because of your journey of faith, you’ll know that it was only by God’s power that you were purified, so that He will be greatly glorified.
 
Prayer for the day:   
 
Father, I can’t get through my hard times in my own strength. Only in Your strength can I emerge victorious. So I commit to waiting on You, trusting in Your Word, and speaking it out, that You will be glorified through my life! 

This is somehow naturally part of me :)

Romans 12:15 NKJV
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Feeling lucky?

Luck is a grace. It won't happen twice!

Jesus Is Lord

Over and over we are reminded that He is Lord and that we should give Him that place in our lives. To crown Jesus as Lord means to surrender our lives to Him. It means to have no will of our own, but to want His will supremely. It means the willingness to go anywhere, do anything, and say whatever He desires. Jesus always comes to take over our lives.

Info : The importance of lordship can be seen in the fact that whereas the word “Savior” occurs only 24 times in the New Testament, the word “Lord” occurs 522 times. It is also significant that whereas men invariably say “Savior and Lord,” in that order, the Scriptures always say “Lord and Savior.”

To make Jesus our Lord is the most reasonable, logical thing we can do. He died for us; the least we can do is live for Him. He bought us; we are no longer our own. “Love so amazing, so divine, demands oursouls, our lives, our all.”

If we can trust Him for our eternal salvation, can we not trust Him for the management of our lives?

How do we crown Jesus as Lord? There must be a crisis experience when for the first time we turn over the controls to Him, when every area of our life is placed under His sovereign sway. It is a total commitment with “no reserve, no retreat, no regrets.”

With His wisdom, love and power, He can do a far better job of running our lives than we can.

Since we took the first step, boldly accepted Jesus into our lifes, we had experience how He can change lives, what is it to totally surrender our lives to Him?

This article encourages me a lot of wanting to become more like Jesus. Especially to do more humanitarian work. Would want to take this opportunity to remind all of u that our God is a big God.. bigger than any other issues or circumstances. Do not be a weak Christian who are tempted to slide away from God but be a strong one to continue to grow in our walk with God.

The World Needs More Love!

Picture taken from xiaxue.blogspot.com

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. -1 John 4:18

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger!

You know the bed feels warmer,
Sleeping here alone,
You know I dream in color,
And do the things I want.

You think you got the best of me
Think you had the last laugh
Bet you think that everything good is gone.

Think you left me broken down
Think that i'd come running back
Baby you don't know me, cause you're dead wrong.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone.
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean i'm over cos you're gone
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me myself and i
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean i'm lonely when i'm alone

You heard that I was starting over with someone new,
They told you I was moving on, over you,
You didn't think that I'd come back, i'd come back swinging
You try to break me but you see
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone.
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean i'm over cos you're gone
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me myself and i
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean i'm lonely when i'm alone

Thanks to you I got a new thing started
Thanks to you I'm not the broken hearted
Thanks to you I'm finally thinking 'bout me
You know in the end the day I left was just my beginning..... in the end...

He Who Laughs, Lasts...

Many people think the Bible is only filled with commands labeled "Thou shalt not" They assume the Bible is all about restrictions and making you lead a boring life.

But this should put a smile on your face: Having fun is good for your health.

God tells us in his Word that life is meant to be enjoyed, not just endured. "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." (Proverbs 17:22 NIV)

I like to put it this way, "He who laughs, lasts." Learn to laugh at yourself, put some play in every day, relax, chill out, have some fun.

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Your troubles - whose fault?

Elisabeth Elliot

I never noticed until this morning the context of this command in the Epistle of James: "My brothers, do not blame your troubles on one another or you will fall under judgment" (Jas 5:9 NEB). The context is patience. A farmer's precious crop comes up only as he waits patiently for autumn rains, winter snows, spring sunshine. Anything worth having is worth waiting for.

Troubles are permitted in order to teach us many lessons, not the least of which is patience. If we instantly assign responsibility for those troubles to somebody else, our energies will go into resentment instead of into learning God's lesson of patient waiting. The Lord's coming is far more certain than even autumn rains and winter snows. We can stand firm and patient no matter how others treat us, knowing that in the end our troubles will be transformed.

"The Lord is full of pity and compassion" (Jas 5:11)--can we believe that, even when we feel sorry for ourselves because we are so badly treated? He knows it all. He purposes a crop. Be patient. It will come.

Life is Beaufitul

Hard times will come. Struggles will always be there. Life will never be perfect. But God’s loves will always be faithful. If we want to live a life that is truly beautiful remember the following…

1. The love of people often increases with performance and decreases with mistakes. Not so with God’s love – Don’t put your trust in the world’s happiness, but put your hope in God’s love. He loves us no matter what we do right or what we do wrong.

2. God loves you with an unearthly love. You can’t win it by being winsome. You can’t lose it by being a loser – We often think that God will loves us more if we do more for Him. This is not the case, God loves us not because we are perfect, He loves us because we are His children. Whether or not things are going great, or whether you feel like all is lost, know that God’s love for you will never change.

3. God can turn tragedy into a triumph, if only you will wait and watch – We don’t understand why things happen the way they do, but we can put our hope in God that He can make all things beautiful. Even what the enemy intends for our evil, God can turn for our good.

4. Love God for God. Life is not perfect, but life is Worth living – We are promised nothing in this world. The things of this world are passing away, but the love of Christ last forever. Put your hope in God and God alone. Love God not for what He can do for you, but love God simply because He is worthy of our affection. When Jesus becomes our only satisfaction, nothing else matters. We can’t fail in this life, because His love is unfailing. Yet, when we know His unfailing love, it makes everything else in this life, good or bad that much more beautiful and meaningful.

5. Does your self-esteem ever sag? When it does, remember what you are worth – Max Lucado

YOU WERE BOUGHT, NOT WITH SOMETHING THAT RUINS LIKE GOLD OR SILVER, BUT WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, WHO WAS LIKE A PURE AND PERFECT LAMB. 1 PETER 1:18-19

adapted from http://jaesonma.com/life-is-beautiful/

It is our own responsibility to enjoy every second of the day. Nobody else can do that for us. Have fun, eat candy, do what you love, love what you do... We might get thrown off this spinning ball of iron and mantle tomorrow." - Emil Kozak -

Adapted from *Kee Aun's blog

A Story

AS WE STAND AT THE FRONTIER TODAY
LOOKING AT THE WORLD EVENTS
AS WE SEE HISTORY UNFOLDS
STORIES THAT WERE NEVER TOLD
THE WORLD SEEKS FOR A GLIMPSE OF HOPE
LOOKING FOR THE BREAK OF DAWN
THE WORLD WAITS
AS TIME GOES BY YEARS TURNING INTO DAYS

IT'S TIME FOR THE WORLD TO SEE
THE TRUTH THAT SETS US FREE
ONE VOICE IN UNITY CREATING HISTORY

WE HAVE A STORY OF A PEOPLE THAT LOVE AND GIVE
TO THE LOST AND THOSE IN NEED
A PEOPLE OF THE HURTING WOULD SEEK
WE HAVE A STORY
OF THE WONDERS OF OUR KING
AND THE LOVE WE HAVE WITHIN
WE'RE SAVED AND REDEEMED BY HIM

WE LOOK AT THE NEWS TODAY
HOPE IS SHATTERED DROWNED IN SORROW
EVERYTHING WILL BE IN DISARRAY
WE NEED A HERO
WILL YOU BE THAT HERO?

A song by CHCKL.
This is what I'm feeling right now.
Zillions of undescribable feelings,
Longing for more of God, more of His guidance,
To serve Him, to shine for Him,
To fulfil the destiny that He has for me.
To testify to the world, about His greatness.

Because it has became a history, on this very day.
Hoping for things to work out, in unity,
And to serve Him together.

Dare To Dream by Joel Osteen

I Want to Know … What is Your Dream?

Are you willing to lay hold of your dreams?

I'm not talking about a wish – a wish is usually only a passing thought that most people never act on. But a dream is something that captures your heart and spirit. It ignites your imagination and fills you with an unquenchable hope. It becomes something you can't easily set aside.

Dreams consume your thinking and fuel your excitement and passion. It can happen in a single moment, or it can captivate your thoughts for years. Sometimes when the dream is really big, you embrace it, and somehow it feels like the dream embraces you.

Our dreams are often about experiencing a better life, about achieving greater things … they are pictures we have of the future that reveal a part of our lives that will be greater than the past.

It takes courage to dream. Any time you dare to dream, there are risks involved. What if it never happens? What if it costs too much? What if people laugh at you?

It's hard to hold on to your dreams. It's hard to believe when the world and those around you give you no reason to press in and press on.

I've been blessed to realize many dreams in my life and ministry, and I'm convinced that a dream only happens when two things take place:

1. You live with expectant faith that the dream will happen.

2. You refuse to let go of the dream - regardless of the circumstances in your life.

When God put the dream in my heart to acquire a sports arena as the location for Lakewood Church, I'll admit that even at first, I was unsure how it would happen. But I just kept believing God's Word. He encouraged me that with Him "nothing was impossible." As months went by, there were many times when the obstacles and problems outnumbered the possibilities for us to receive the promise He had given us.

But during these times, I went to God's Word and learned something from the life of David. In I Samuel 30:6, it says that David encouraged himself in the Lord.

So I made the decision that when circumstances or people said things that discouraged the dreams in my heart, I would go back to the Lord and stand on His promises. Beyond that, I would do everything I could to continually express hope, both verbally and in my actions, in what I believed God had in store for us.

I chose NOT to let go of the dream or give up, but to press on and praise God.

I know in my life, I would never have realized some of the amazing dreams that God has blessed me with if it had not been for the encouragement of my wife Victoria. When I begin to doubt or feel the pressure to let go of God's best, she is there to remind me of the faithfulness of God, and to speak words of hope, life and encouragement concerning my future.

I wish that everyone could have an encouraging voice like that in their life, but sometimes it's not always the case. In fact, sometimes those closest to you can actually be the biggest "unbelievers" of your dreams.

I believe that one thing God has called me to be is an encouraging voice in your life:

What's the vision from God that’s captured your heart, that's lingered, that won't go away? Are you still holding on to it or have you let it go? If you have, the time has come to pick it back up again and reclaim your dream.

Let me encourage you: a dream doesn't always have to be something spectacular like winning an Olympic medal or becoming president.

What's the vision from God that's captured your heart, that's lingered, that won't go away? Are you still holding on to it or have you let it go? If you have, the time has come to pick it back up again and reclaim your dream.

In fact, some of the best dreams are seeing your child walk in right relationship with God or experiencing a restored marriage or having a job that that actually pays you to do what you love. Sometimes a dream is only a picture, an image that we don't fully understand and requires faith to believe in. God may give you a dream in pieces – asking you to believe. As you take small steps in faith, He'll fill in the gaps along the way.

This is what happened in Joseph's life in Genesis 37. God gave Joseph an unusual dream that he didn't fully understand, but Joseph immediately believed. And because of it, Joseph's brothers hated him and his father scolded him. No one believed Joseph, and for years and years his dream made his life really difficult. Betrayed and left for dead by his brothers, sold into slavery in a foreign land, alone and afraid, all Joseph had to hold on to was his dream and his faith in God. But Joseph would not let go of it, and little by little he began to see hints and clues that his dream was coming true.

The challenges you face will require you to make a similar choice – will you leave your pain in the past to follow your dreams, or will you let these hurts steal your hope of a better life?

As I said, seeing your dream come to pass may not be easy, but once it does, it is totally worth everything you have invested into it.

Dreaming and believing for better things in your life and the lives of those around you is contagious. When you get around someone with the courage to dream, it has an amazing impact on you.

As believers, we don't put our trust in circumstances or people. Our trust remains in the Lord. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or think. This is what we are believing for, and I am confident that it will happen as we join hands and hearts to offer real hope to people … hope that can only be found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Don't let anything hold you back. Don't let anyone keep you from dreaming. The dreams God has given you are treasures worth living for. They are worth the price, I promise!

Adapted from :
http://www.joelosteen.com/HopeForToday/ThoughtsOn/Life/DareToDream/Pages/DareToDream.aspx

Glorious Redeemer

I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART
TRUST YOU WITH ALL I HAVE
FOR YOU HOLD THE HEAVENS
AND EARTH IN YOUR HAND
YOU DIED ON THE CROSS FOR ME
TOOK ALL MY SIN AND SHAME
YOUR NAME IS HOLY
EXALTED ABOVE ALL EARTH

GLORIOUS REDEEMER
YOU HAVE PAID FOR MY LIFE
YOU HAVE GONE BEFORE ME
NOW I’LL WALK BY YOUR SIDE
I LIFT MY HANDS TO YOU LORD
YOU ARE WORTHY OF MY PRAISE
JESUS REIGNS
JESUS YOU REIGN

ONE THING I ASK
THAT I MAY DWELL IN YOUR HOUSE FOREVER

It's a destiny

for being siblings and being in a family.
- Jeremiah Chung