Too Busy To Pray?

Sometimes, business gets in our way of have a STRONG Prayer life.... Nah, its more of us not having the desire to pray. When Jesus asked His disciples to pray a little with Him at Gethsemane before he was about to be arrested. He said " Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Life will only occupy us, leaving us with no time for prayer. Don't wait and say "i will when i have time", that is as good as saying "prayer is not important"...

As I grow in Him, I realize that I'm so distant-ed from God whenever I'm not watching and praying.

WATCH - Be in tune with Him (Devotion) & God's business (ministry, and people)
PRAY - To be communicating with God, about what we received from Him and what is He wanting us to be doing...

And believe me when I say "STRONG Prayer Life will never be in a haste and rush with business occupying us & consuming us, like a a living dead".

1 Thess 5: 17 - Pray Continually ( unceasingly)

Intellectual or Moral Dilemma

Do we make choices and decisions by our intellectual quotient? Probably, some by their moral up-bringing? Do we, also, trust and believe following those innate qualities?

Here are examples, that despite giving ample evidences and demonstrations, it does not serve to convict a heart. It had been buried in the heart, whether one wills to believe or the deny.

e.g. A doctor can prescript the best medication and treatment to the patient, yet we still have some who defy and choose their own way.

e.g. Financial Consultants can lay down your life-time financial management, but many will drop off somewhere, somehow, thinking that we could manage them by instinct or our own knowledge.

The same happened in the Bible about Jesus. He wasn't well-received in His home town (Matt13:53-58); the Pharisees and Sadducee did not turn their heart after Jesus had perform various miracles in their presence; the rich young men had already decided in his heart that wealth is too much to give up, etc. The list goes on and on.... Romans 1:20, gives us a good illustration of why we have no excuse not to believe in God.

Promises are for those who believe and seeks them in God. God welcomes those, like little children (Matt 18:3), for the Kingdom of Heaven are for these believing ones. God promises, in the Bible, peace, joy, fulfilled life with no regrets, and heavenly treasures that help us focus upwards not on all the pain on earth.

Faith always pertains to the heart, if we seek diligently, humbly, honestly, and obediently. I'm sure we can find God and taste His Goodness. Lets not decide in our hearts to deny Him.

Gong Xi Fa Cai - Asking for Blessing!!!

In this Festive Season of Lunar Chinese New Year, as Chinese, we sub-consciously wish for blessing of various forms, wealth, health, success, intimacy, renewal, growth in our personal life. Don't we all ask for those, regardless of our cultural festive seasons..?

Greetings of Blessing filled the air, as cliché as how its been utter over the years, we still pray and wish that somehow we could see some of it coming through.

So what's in for us in this Dragon CNY.? We are always reminded that our requests and petitions had not gone unheard. That we can be sure that if we believe and ask in God's will, He listens to us

Psalm 5:3

In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;

in the morning I lay my requests before you

and wait in expectation

And the 'Blessing' has for us are not mere earthly inheritance that satisfies only the flesh and are temporary. When we experience that Joy of His revelation in our endeavour to draw close to Him, He rewards "those who earnestly seek Him" and "our joy will be complete".

Jeremiah 33:3

3 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and

unsearchable things you do not know.'

Lastly, let not our 'blessing' be limited to ourselves, make use of all opportunities to (Colossians 4:5-6) share with the people we come in contact with this Festive season... Let's start praying for all indiscriminately, that God's Kingdom may be known through us. That CNY will be different for them through us.

1 Timothy 2:1-2

1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

Looking at the larger picture, our freedom should not be taken for granted, pray for our Government and even in a global sense, cause we are all in "it"...

May God bless us all in this Dragon - Chinese New Year...Amen!!

When I say...

When I say ... "I am a Christian"

" I am not shouting "I am saved;"

I am whispering "I get lost"

"That is why I choose this way."

When I say ... "I am a Christian"

I do not speak of this with pride.

I am confessing that I stumble

and need someone to be my guide.

When I say ... "I am a Christian"

I am not trying to be strong.

I am professing that I am weak

and pray for strength to carry on.

When I say ... "I am a Christian"

I am not bragging of success.

I am admitting I have failed

and cannot ever pay the debt.

When I say ... "I am a Christian"

I am not claiming to be perfect.

My flaws are too visible

but God believes I am worth it.

When I say ... "I am a Christian"

I still feel the sting of pain.

I have my share of heartaches

which is why I seek His name.

When I say ... "I am a Christian"

I do not wish to judge.

I have no authority

I only know I am loved.

by Carol Wimmer

Lonely & Lack of Attention??

Blogs have been a channel of lashing out; indirect complains and criticism-walling is unbecoming on Facebook. Why is the media dominated by negativity? Can no good come from social media. Are all these the only channels to voice out our silent loneliness?

Deep in our heart of hearts, we want to be heard, cared for, even having a shoulder to lean on in frustrating moments. Sometimes, our nights go by without anyone knowing we struggle so hard in our work that our soul had stop existing and everything is just on auto-pilot. An empty vessel going through the motions. We are so engrossed in the Enemies lies that no one can understand us and nobody cares. Helplessly, internet and social media became our best friend, awaiting digital replies as substitution to human warmth.

No one understands loneliness better than Jesus Christ, Himself. At Gethsemane (Mark 14), knowing Death awaits, he ask the disciples to keep watch with him but temptation of sleepiness took the better of them. All the way to the cross, He has no one to sympathise with, he knew it and has been told to Peter that "where I'm going, you cannot follow now". What's more? At the cross, God turned His face away from Jesus, who was bearing all our sins. In loneliness, isolation from the Father Himself was the greatest pain the "Perfect Man - Jesus" could bear. He cried "Father, Father, why have You forsaken me". The never-before-broken relationship of the Father and Son, has happened, brief as it may(3 days). We could have never understood that agony.

Victory over sins has granted us power to be in a satisfying relationship.But to some point, we realise deep down that reading blogs and Facebook comments and posts have unintentionally shaped our point of view and perception. Lies has been repeated and taken in without much rumination.Worst still, it's been adopted as truth.

We need the Word of God, like a banner flying across the land, being proclaimed and spread truths that can quench our thirst that Blogs, Facebook or other social media cant. Lets run to Jesus, who offers comfort to those who needs it, trusting that He can provide.

I have been guilty too, by not standing up... Here I want to Blog for Christ, not about my petty needs but the NEED of the Word to be heard...