His Words

On my way back to Dubai, I was seating in the plane and was thinking that this year will be a very good and fruitful year for our church. It made me think to do planning and vision casting. So after landing and getting a cab, I immediately asked the team to get ready for an exciting activity. Below is the teaching that revealed to me during my devotion last Wednesday and Thursday.

IS SETTING GOALS UNSPIRITUAL?

No! Many people wrongly think, "Goal setting is unspiritual because it shows a lack of trust. It's not right to plan. Instead, people should wait for God to lead them.” Granted, God doesn't want us to forge ahead in pride without consulting Him for direction. But neither does He want us to sit around without acting, because He's given us gifts and talents and has also said that we are called to do good works.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.)

Forging ahead without seeking God or sitting back and doing nothing can stem from fear or a lack of faith. However, setting goals and consulting with Him shows that you trust Him and believe that He is able to lead you while you are moving forward.

The main verse that we studied was Philippians 3:13-14.

¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Setting goals is a part of spiritual discipline

1. Set Goals Like Running in a Race (v 13)

• TAKE HOLD (Apprehend, Make it my own) - to reach the goals, claim it as you have received and accomplished it.
• FORGETTING (Not to have remembrance, Not looking back) - forget the past and old failure but never omit the lessons that you have learned from it
• STRAINING TOWARD (Forward, Reaching Forth) - focus your eyes on God, focus on accomplishing good works. No laziness, no weakness, no backing down. Aim for gold!

• PRESS ON (Pursuing, Chasing, Running) - it is about winning the prize which is knowing God more and hear His calling. Again, setting goals is a part of spiritual discipline. It's not just a good idea; the Bible says you need to set goals in order to grow in your faith. Goals stretch you and help you become all God wants you to be.

God is a God who sets goals, and he expects you to set them too. Like the Apostle Paul, he wants us to say: Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. (1 Corinthians 9:26)

You will make mistakes in setting goals. It's OK. Because God wants to see you do His will, He will teach you the way to go as you walk in faith. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. (Psalm 32:8)

After the teaching, I divided the team into two groups and put the goals that we will accomplish and might able to attain. It turned out to be exciting and the ideas were pouring out:

Last Sunday, on my way back to Dubai via Singapore Airlines, I watched a documentary about the biggest Hindi festival. It showed there how far a believer can go just to prove their faith and make a stand on their religion. There was a man who gave up his right hand by raising it for 20 years. The other was not sitting down for 10 years. I was amazed by their conviction and I respect their own belief and ways to show it.

For sure you have seen some Christians who are ready to pay heavy price to stand for what they believe. But are we ready if we are the one being tested? How prepared are we in facing such situations and overcoming the fire? We should always be careful in what we do and how it may affect others as we might commit mistakes that will eventually result into negative atmosphere. Some real life examples include: (1) you are residing in a house where in another room, an unmarried couple is living together (2) upon entering Singapore, you lied about the question "what is your purpose" and instead of telling the truth [to look for a job] you will say "to spend holiday and pleasure". (3) You watched a concert of your idol rather than going to a Sunday service or weekly lifegroup

With above examples, how will you stand about marriage first before anything else; the rule on not telling lies; idolatry should be avoided and He should be the priority. Well, we should be careful in giving opinions as we might be labeled as judging others. The most important thing that we can do is to stay strong in our belief and faith by continuously avoiding such things and situations. 1 Corinthians 16:13 (Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.) commanded us to be firm and brave when confronted by questions and doubts. Another thing is to provide concrete and biblical advice but never degrade others' morale. In bible, there are characters who gave up their lives just to prove and stand firm on their principles. We should also have a very strong foundation and be surrounded by people who can contribute towards Christian maturity.

Let us also remember that we always have Him and that we are not alone in this fight as stated in 2 Chronicles 20:17 (You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you). I am not telling you to literally give and risk your life to prove that you are worthy and can protect the teachings and beliefs to the full extent. Understanding your purpose and believing that everything should be complied biblically is a good start in showing it. We also have the priceless and most powerful tool in the world: prayer which brings us closer to Him and an opportunity to talk to Him and seek guidance, protection and wisdom.

Image courtesy of daletedder.wordpress.com

In this modern world, we are surrounded by numerous amounts of temptations that aren't beneficial most of the time. In our Christian life, it is very important to understand how to fight them and how to overcome and put a stop on it before committing a sin. But first, we should be aware of that there is a huge difference between temptation and sin. In a straight discussion, temptations aren't always supposed to end with a sin. There is a white line in the midst of these two instances.

Temptation only involves the process of thinking that includes our heart, mind and body that could be a preparation for a sinful act to take place. There are a lot of things we can do to stop the growing temptation such as focus on other things, read the bible and ask for strength from Him. If you will read 1 Corinthians 10:13 (No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it), it can also be directly treated as a test.

Like problems, challenges and adversities, these temptations are just tests that will not only test our faith but will also assess how we respond to it and how we trust His directives. At the end of this situation, it always leads to a single question for ourselves: "Should I continue and act on this desire and temptation or not?" The answer is in our hands and we know from ourselves what should be the correct answer. I always say that prayer is our most powerful tool and it is and that the bible has all the answers to our questions. You know the ways on how to rectify and put a stop in committing sins and He is watching us. He will always give us way out of temptation. Sin doesn't happen immediately, it involves the result of a process.

These past few days I had this temptation but I opted not to entertain it. Instead, I focused on other things. I started with a prayer then I did the normal things such as watching television series and go to gym to workout. We should treat temptations as unwelcomed guests in our hearts and mind; don't let them control you and mess your day.

Image taken from thegospelcoalition.org

As a believer, I have encountered several Christians who can easily judge others without looking onto their own faults. I admit, I used to be like that, that I can see the sins of others in a snap but then I realized that we have no right to judge others. I have also witnessed believers who stumbled and were criticized by other Christians. Sometimes, we overlook our own vulnerabilities and flaws, nobody is perfect. This kind of false confidence isn't a good thing but for the devil, it is a big advantage for him. I know that as a believer, we should have this full confidence standing with Christ to be righteous but we must also remember that we also have internal problems and weaknesses. The best thing to cast away and overcome this is to be firm in front of him. Never fall into temptations and don't let our weaknesses control us. Most importantly, we should ask for guidance and protection from God.

In 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (¹² So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.), it says here that these temptations are part of his test, that He will not give it to us without knowing that we can win over it. And yes, there is always a way out of it. We shouldn't justify the sins that we committed, instead, admit it and take full responsibility of it then look toward unto Him and ask for forgiveness. We shouldn't make any excuses and blame others for the ungodly works that we did as we have no right to redefine and rationalize sins. We should be careful in our every step and we should all be humble in front of Him. His words are our armor and best protection we can have against those strategies that the devil is doing to win us.

He has an unlimited forgiveness for us but true repentance only means if we change our mind and turn our back on those flaws. There is no excuse for ignorance so if you feel that you are drifting away from Him, there are a lot of ways on how to return to His direction. Committing sins isn't the end of our Christian life. Submit to the Lord our sins, take full responsibility, give your full power to avoid doing it again and ask for forgiveness. We have given two options on how we can reach His kingdom, to turn away from Him or go directly to His path and the latter is the best choice and decision that we can have in our life.

Image taken from lastmanstanding87.wordpress.com

For sure we all know all the gifts and promises that He has for us. That when we reach the kingdom, there will be endless happiness and will be fulfilled with love. Of course, all we need to do is to obey Him and give Him the highest praise and continue to put our trust in Him. But let's see what are the eternal rewards that we will receive after accomplishing our tasks here on earth. As we all say, we must be strong and full of endurance in this game called life. We should never stop in doing good and spreading His words. Since we are in this game, we will also have our own medals after the race.

1. Medal of Extreme Joy. Since we have accomplished the discipleship tasks, aren't the new believers that we helped would be our greatest joy and glory?! I mean, the happiness in our heart is priceless once we see those people who were lost but now with our help, were saved and walking towards the journey of Christianity. In the presence of our Lord, these new believers will be our gift to Him and the feeling can't be compared to anything on how we succeed in the spiritual development of others. (1 Thessalonians 2:18-20 "¹⁸ For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan blocked our way. ¹⁹ For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? ²⁰ Indeed, you are our glory and joy.")

2. Medal of Life. Problems, trials and hardships are unavoidable in this game. During the race, we will be encountering tests that will determine the level of trust and love that we have for Him. Whether the test is an uphill climb or a rocky road, just be reminded that spiritual growth happens in adversity. We should never give up, instead continue to love and trust Him and the eternal reward will be an unending life. (James 1:12 "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.")

3. Medal of Triumph. If we are effective in our ministry, executed a perfect discipleship and victorious over sins then there is a triumph that awaits for us in the finish line. That reward will be imperishable and the light that it brings will enlighten and inspire others. (1 Corinthians 9:25-27 "²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.")

4. Medal or Righteousness. There will always be temptations, there will always be hardships, oh yes, Christian life is not easy but if we live righteously then these things are nothing. As a believer, we should always pursue godliness and should strive to meet God with a pure conscience. (2 Timothy 4:5-8 "⁵ But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. ⁶ For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.")

So after gathering all these medals, what should we do about them? Well, it will be our gift to our Lord in the time that we meet Him. Offer them into His feet as sign of appreciation for all the things that He have done to us: saved us, equipped us, guided us, protected us and loved us unconditionally.

We are living the world full of temptations, full of unending potentials to commit a sin and we are surrounded of people who are not walking to His path, instead they are ruling their own lives based on their own understanding and belief. Instead of influencing others to be a good follower, we are being dragged by others into wrong direction. He wants us influence others who are not obediently following Him. But how to deal with such negative relationships? How to handle them efficiently to ensure that we are not portraying contrary to our belief? 1 Corinthians 15:33-34 (33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God —I say this to your shame.)

First, we can pray and ask for God to work into their lives. Pray to those people who tend to pull you away from God. It is not our job to change them but only to influence them and ask wisdom from Him and more patience in interaction with them. In the end, only themselves will realize the true love of God for them. Second, if after you have done and after the hard work still did not pay off, then I believe its time to separate yourselves from them. I believe we have to break off from them if they are hindering with our beliefs and our walk in becoming like Him. So does this mean to give up? Of course not, you just need to continue to pray but the physical closeness with them should be minimized and continue to care for them. But if the Lord is telling you not to break it off, then you should use the third step which is perseverance. If the negative relationship still doesn't change then your goal is to be strong enough and walk faithfully despite the hindrances and negative vibration. If God asks you to not give up then don't, try our very best and I believe that God will guide us through the process.

In my opinion, the very best thing to do is to cultivate friendships with those people who can help you to grow in faith in order to avoid struggle in negative relationships. But we should be reminded that it is our duty to disciple and influence others for the better good. Accept the challenge if we were called to do such task and embrace it with full empowerment from Him. Seek guidance, ask for protection and guard your heart.

When I was in college, my concept of being a leader is the one who strive the best in academics, always getting the highest score in every exam, achieving perfect score in laboratory activities and famous. I had the chance to study in two colleges at the same time and I was juggling my schedule. I was the class president for three years, leader in student council, editor in chief of school publication, president of writer's club and summa cum laude. At that time, I felt so powerful and I can get whatever I want. But these concepts change as I started to know Him more.

Being a leader comes with a lot of sacrifices and should start from our very own ways, we should be a good FOLLOWER first. But first, we should be aware of whom we follow as a Christian, none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. As stated in John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep". I believe that in this verse, we can see the perfect description of a leader, the one who acts as a shepherd to those who "sheep" in his care. We, as His sheep should be a good follower, learn His ways, experience His presence, fulfill His plans, spread His goodness, make a disciple and abide His commandments.

So after being more matured if we feel that following Him is natural and that we are filled with love and care then that's the start to do the same to others in our very own ways, we can start to lead and of course, commit everything to Him and ask for guidance, strength and wisdom and always make Him as your example and perfect role model. As in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ". The Christian leader is one who follows Christ and inspires others to follow Him as well. As a Christian leader, it also serves as the feeder and nourisher of the sheep, and the ultimate "sheep food" is the word of God.

I remember before, I had a hard time following orders from my leaders as I used to give directions and commands before. But eventually, I overcame it and I realize that everything we do is for Him. The unwilling mind became a heart of a servant and every little things that I do for my lifegroup excites me. It started with bringing drinks, disposables, prepare games, organize events and be shepherd. Inch by inch, I was able to grasp the true meaning of leadership. It is not just about giving orders but caring and loving your people and make sacrifices, if needed in order to achieve the common goal. I have also observed that most of the Christian leaders also encounters difficulties such as problem in relationships with their people, misunderstanding, lack of motivation, poor communication, complaining and interpersonal conflict are common. But they were able to resolve it with His help and the factors that made them stronger leader. I have learned from them that Christian leadership must patient, motivational, inspirational, be loyal to and love their people, care for their needs, be fair and consistent in their treatments to their people and provide avenues for opportunity, advancement, rewards, and personal development.

So that's it, you don't have to be a summa cum laude to be a leader. You don't have to earn big salary or get 5 digits salary to be a leader. You don't have to be famous, you don't have to wear and own branded things. Just be yourself, be a good follower first and the rest will come naturally and spiritually. All praises to Him!

I always say that it is better late than never, this post should have been published during the valentines season but because of many reasons (I know I know, excuses!) I couldn't find a perfect timing to write this. Anyway, it was a blessful preach from Ps. Christie last 13th of February and she constantly saying that love isn't just a romantic feeling. There are many forms of love such as love to parents, siblings, friends or even country (nationalism???). But the main point of the discussion was looking for someone to share with your passion, dreams and future.

In 2 Corinthians 6:14 (Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?). Ps. christie said that if we have a relationship with non-believer, we shouldn't judge them or make a distance from them. Instead, we can still love them and we should lead them into the path of true love and happiness. Also in 1 Corinthians 7:12-13 (To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.), a couple shouldn't divorce if one of them is not a believer.

Ps. Christie also pointed out two major guidelines in waiting for that "someone".
1.) Look only with marriage in mind. - Of course if we want a relationship we should also consider someone who has plans for the future and true to commitment. He/She should have a stable job and financially stable. But of course, look for someone who is emotionally and spiritually stable. Just remember that we are complete and whole in Jesus.
2.) Wait for God's time. - He has the best and perfect timing for our lives. He knows when is the correct day on which we will face that someone and share the love with for our entire life. Let Him do the work and don't jump into someone immediately if you just feel that you need to get married the soonest. If that someone davalues you, then run away from that one.

The best of all, I think we should put these three important standards in looking for someone: (a) there is a growth in spirit / (b) servant of God / (c) one with a kind heart. Also, always remember this verse: 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 (It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God;), in short: No SEX before marriage. But what is true love? It's in 1 John 3:16 (This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.), it is the sacrifice of Jesus to save us and not thinking only about Himself.

Yeah, the title seems to be confusing but this post is pertaining to the major topic of our group devotion. It was really nice sharing thoughts and exchanging views and understanding of His words. On 2nd of February, we discussed about LOVE since the Valentine's day is about to come that time (it was kinda early actually). Main verses we used were:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 - Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Many views were revealed but what really spoke to me was "it keeps no record of wrongs". When you really love someone and caused you pain, you can forgive them but can we really forget? During conversations or some angry moments or confrontations, we sometimes look back into the past mistakes so we can't move on. But if it is true love, we should forgive and forget as love is kind. Love is a very simple word but with a broad and wider meaning. We should also have a longer patience so that we can avoid to be mad easily, prayer is the best tool to garner such characteristic. Love is such a wonderful feeling but shouldn't be only about romantic instances. Love should also be provided to your loved ones, parents, siblings, relatives, friends or even enemies.

Meanwhile, last 4th of February, during our Bintan trip, we also had an early morning devotion, outside our hotel room with fresh air and great view of the sea. It was really great spending with your friends and share the words of God during that time, it was very refreshing. Anyway, the main topic was the taming of the TONGUE. We used the following verses:

James 3:1-12 - 1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

As a Christian, there are expectations and traits that others are looking into us. We share His words, explains to others and we ensure that they understand it. But sometimes, it is unavoidable to say such words that might hurt or offend others when we are in the situation of pressure or anger. Our tongue is very powerful as every word we say might affect others whether positively or negatively. Tongue is being used for praising and worshipping Him but sometimes being used to do face to face assaults and/or behind the back attacks. Gossip and slander is also a wrong doing that we sometimes commit. We can avoid this by communicating to Him and seek for assistance and guidance, ask for forgiveness and learn to control anger. How can we praise Him if we also curse or hate others and speaking unnecessary words. Before, I use the "F" word a lot but have managed to control it and gave a new code for it, I now say "Farm" or "Firm". He is a forgiving God, ask for forgiveness and learn from our mistakes and ensure that we live a healthy life by reading His words and put it into our daily lives. It will be a continuous struggle for us to tame our tongue but it will be a lot easier if we are with Him.

Last night after my cardio exercises, I met my UL in this coffee stall in AMK Hub. He was patiently waiting for me and was all set to discuss on what he called "a hard topic". Anyway, we started with a prayer before the formal shepherding. We started about by defining what Trinity is. It was described to me as "three in one", meaning God is believed to be made up of three personas, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with equal level. Once you accepted one of it, you have accepted the three of them, kinda one big package.

In Ephisians 4:30 (And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption), Holy Spirit can be described as a person with feelings, the "grieve" stated above is the sadness or the feeling of being hurt everytime we sin. Holy Spirit also thinks and give us wisdom, don't you feel sometimes experience that some bright ideas just came up in the middle of nowhere? it happened to me a lot of times! Everytime my CL will send out the cg functions and I'm in charge of games, suddenly an overflowing of ideas were being presented to my mind.

Holy Spirit also speaks (Acts 13:2 - While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them"). We should always acknowledge and be aware that HS is also speaking to us in order for us to hear the voice. HS is not speaking of any stories but the voice is gentle that always remind me of who I am and what I should be, specifically to be like Jesus. We should just listen to all the lessons, realizations and the revelations, receiving HS empowers us.

UL also discussed to me the gifts of the Holy Spirit which comprises nine gifts. No one will have all nine gifts in one person as we should need each other and everyone has the job to fulfill in sharing His greatness. Once our leader give us a gift, we must accept and practice it. These gifts are directly discussed in the following verses:
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 - 7) Now to each one of the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8) To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9) to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10) to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11) All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

To summarize, the nine gifts are:
1.The Word of Knowledge
2.The Word of Wisdom
3.The Gift of Prophecy
4.The Gift of Faith
5.The Gifts of Healings
6.The Working of Miracles
7.The Discerning of Spirits
8.Different Kinds of Tongues
9.The Interpretation of Tongues

To fully receive and have these gifts, they are being supported by the nine fruit of Holy Spirit (UL used the word fruit to signify that it should be one and also a big package). This fruit were directly discussed in Galatians 5:22.

The fruit consists:
1.Love
2.Joy
3.Peace
4.Longsuffering
5.Kindness
6.Goodness
7.Faithfulness
8.Gentleness
9.Self-control

Yesterday was such a fulfilling Sunday service with Pastor Christie. It was her first preach for the year after her interesting and enjoyable vacation in Bhutan. The main verse of the sermon was:

2 Corinthians 9:10 - Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

She claimed and we all claimed that this year will be the year of supernatural increase and the one behind it is non other than Him. On the above verse, seed may pertains to job, knowledge, etc. They will be increased not just in the quantity manner but also increase in annointing, increase on the power or anything that you and that our finance will be increasingly getting healthier... wow and Amen! It was also emphasized that God is the one who supplies, increases, multiplies and enlarges all that we have.

On the last quarter of 2010, after I received several amounts of money from my previous company, I divided it to my savings, property and other expenses. I wasn't able to budget about my house shifting, it really got out of my mind. I was really hesitant to use my savings and my budget is enough for that month (yeah, I do monthly budgetting via Excel). So I asked God for assistance and signs if I should use the savings and deduct some amount. Surprisingly, my previous company contacted and informed me that I have a cheque waiting for me and inquired for my bank account. It was the pending amount returnable of my contributions to our internal provident fund. I was delighted that time and praised and thanked Him for that unexpected blessing!

1 Corinthians 3:7 - So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

On the above verse, it is cyrstal clear that God is the one behind the increase whether if it they are victories, promotion, financial aspects or even lovelife. In everything that we do, we must put Jesus first and we will never get wrong. Pastor Christine also shared that story of Moses, about that 40 years of exploration going to the promise land but the people were so doubtful and have a lot of questions. The lessons I learned from the story is that never struck the rock (Jesus) but speak to Him. Speak what you believe. We are not suppose to condemn others but believe that there is always hope, forgiveness and new beginning with Jesus.

Ephisians 3:20-21 - 20) Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, 21) to Him be glory in the church and througout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

Start the year with Jesus, there is always hope, never give up. He will give us more than we ask for, all the blessings that we have now will be increased and wil come a moment that it will come to us overflowing and immeasurably.