Victorious, I will be!

Psa144:1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.

2 He is my loving God and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me.

A friend sent me this verse yesterday! Find it so stirring. Trusting God that He has equipped my hands for the past 4 1/2 years for this exams, & He is gonna bring me through the MCQ & patients victoriously! Will draw His strength & immerse in His power as I go through this week!!!

Activate it!

Was replying an email today, and remembered on the famous bible passage about Peter stepping out of the boat!

A lot of times we said “We’re waiting for our destiny, our calling!” “Still asking God what He wants me to do.” “I don’t wanna do the things unless God speaks to me about it.”

Sounds familiar?

But if we continue to remain in the “boat” (at a position that we’re waiting, not stepping out) we will never know or experience what God has in store for us. Likewise, for Peter to fully experience God’s miracle, He has to STEP OUT! Even for the disciples, before Jesus die on the cross, do you think they know what their callings were? I’m sure all they had in mind at that time is to follow Jesus! Follow what He is doing, apply what He is teaching & imitate Him as He imitates God! God’s work only happens if we make the first move. Always been that way! He will reveal to you what your callings/purpose are, but you must first step out & start searching. That’s when faith comes in. We need our faith to be activated to receive our calling.

Mat17:20He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

The word little in Hebrew is not less/small or anything. In Hebrew, it is actually “no”!

Look, Jesus said you just need faith as small as mustard seed! Do you need a lot? No! But I believe at that time He is saying “apply your faith into your life!” “IT’S PRACTICAL TIME! YOU’VE HEARD THE THEORY!”

Daddy you're the best!!!

HAPPY DADDY'S DAY!!!

The next level!

Remembered what Ps Rusell shared about moving to the next level.

Luke5: 17One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. 18Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 22Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 24But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 25Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today."

This story about Jesus healing the paralytic man as a result of the faith of these 4 men!

If the 4 guys just remain at the same level, the crowd is hindering them from reaching to Jesus (the miracle). But they saw the need to move towards the next level (up the roof, broke the tiles & lowered their friend down), the paralyzed man was healed! Imagine us miss this miracle cause we didn’t see the next level God has set before us.

It’s never an easy journey to move towards the next level… the thought of carrying the paralyzed men up the roof, break the tiles and slowly lower him down without him falling, that’s a tough job. But Jesus sees everything, He bless accordingly. He is pleased to see the faith-stretching moments!

What is your next level that God has set before you?

Are you willing to walk towards it?

Deligence!

Heb6: 10God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. 12We do not want you to become lazy (in NLT-dull or indifferent, NKJV-sluggish), but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

This portion of scripture has been ministering to me these few days!

During the exams fever, we tend to get caught up with revisions, deadlines to meet, etc. Our role as a child of God shrinks back to a certain extent… We started having less catch ups, we rush through devotions, hurry off or sometimes skip church to try and study as much as possible in that 2 hours.

But this verse says God knows our position and condition. In the 24 hours, we tried to juggle the time with studies and catching up with people, attend church & meetings, etc. He feels for us when He sees we began to feel overwhelmed or stretched in our ministry.

This verse says He remembers our labor! & God encourages us to keep pressing on, pressing on with His strength to do the things He has called us to do, to minister to the people He has entrusted to us because as we have this “hope made sure” given by God. It reminded me of Ps Shawn’s post regarding faith. In Heb 11:1 Faith is hope made sure!

Now this is not the blind faith others are talking about, but a hope made sure from God that what lies in the future – eternal life & eternal relationship with God!

That’s why it goes on saying that “we should not become lazy or dull or indifferent” – as in we stop doing what we are called to do because of exams. Rather we should imitate those champions like David, Paul, Abraham, Joseph – these people who persevered through trials in their lives with God’s strength and knowing that God is always in control of their situation! Look how God bless them and carry them through all trials! He is able to do that for us today!!!

This scripture is really encouraging. It tells me that despite all circumstances, as long as we trust in Him, things will be fine. God sees and knows and will bless accordingly! Love every bit of the encounter of I have with Him and His people.

Something is happening!!! :-)

3 weeks left to go!

Hrm, somehow really thank God that His peace is constantly within me. Although there is so much to study, so much to improve in my case presentation, but everything seems to be fine when God is in control!

Today, we had our first ever AUSTIN HOSPITAL PRAYER MEETING! One of my course mates told me they are gonna start a prayer meeting where people – Christians/non-Christians alike can come and pray together for our exams. I was like “Cool! I’ll come!”

So, this afternoon, as soon as I finished my lunch, I rushed off to the hospital chapel. My group members were like “Oh! You’re going for the prayer meet. Can you pray for us too?” I was like “Of course!”

Although at the prayer meeting, there were only 4 of us, as we pray for the hospital & the patients, for each other & our exams, felt God’s presence so strongly in our midst. Then one of them said “Let’s just tell the guys in the lecture later about this prayer meeting. Lets all of us go to the front and each say something about this meeting!”

How many people know that I am totally not the “in front of stage making announcement” guy! I was like, er… “God, do you really want me to do that?” Then, felt God saying, “So, are you making a stand for me? If yes, now is the time!” In the end, I did it. Said what I wanna say (which was just telling everyone what we do during prayer meet), and went back to my seat and got ready for the lecture.

Towards the end of the day, one of my group mates asked us, “So, how was prayer meet today?” & we sorta told him it went well, and my friend invited my group mate along for next week’s prayer meeting, and he said “Yah, maybe I would!” How awesome is that!!! God just reminded me that He is at work even in my work area. I never make it an active point to talk to my friends at work much about God, but now God is saying that He is setting the condition right for Him to be made known to the people in this hospital. I’m excited now, and desire to see more and more people turn up for prayer meeting, just to receive His blessings!

The fire within us!

Someone once said, " If you don't have a passion worthy dying for, you have nothing worth living for. If you are not willing to suffer for something, you really aren't passionate about anything."

I quote this from the Passion Quest blog. What a powerful statement – this statement stir something within me. It somehow realign my direction as I walk my life journey with God.

Like what the blogger said “If you have one, is it worth living/dying for?” Common, this statement is provoking. It somehow brings me to a point where yah, “Am I sold out to the passion that I have?”

So, what is my passion??? I know I love God a lot. I know that it is my desire to see young people rise up, and start believing God for more and trusting Him to take their natural circumstances to a supernatural intervention! I get excited when I see my friends excited about what God is doing in their lives, and what they believe God is about to do. I get stirred when I see them pumped up to do what God has set for each of them. THIS IS MY PASSION – SEEING EACH OF THEM GROW INTIMATELY & SOLD OUT FOR OUR LIVING GOD!

It is a cause worth living for! I believe even as I am called to be a doctor to serve this community, God’s work will work through my career and my interaction with people!

During this season of my finals, I have so much inadequacy! I need so much miracles & interventions. I dunno how but I need God to work through every bit of my life – in my spiritual journey with Him, in my life as a medical student, in my role as a son, in my Urban Life group, in my personal time with my friends – I need You to take control. The time I have is sufficient, but I need You to make it more effective. Bible says, “The more they are oppressed, they more they grew!” I pray the same prayer will work in my life.

During these 4 weeks of time pressing moments, I’m not gonna let it dilute my passion! My passion is gonna grow even more out of the oppression that it is gonna face/facing! It is gonna be 4 weeks filled with God’s favor & intervention! God, You take Your place and do as You please!

You Reign over me!

Spirit of God,

We cry out for You now

We cry out

Where would we be without You Jesus

Where would we be without You Lord

As church began a new song they recently wrote, the bridge of that song so captured my heartbeat now!

4 weeks away from my finals, 4 weeks of intense classes where I gotta learn whatever that is need to learn in this last rotation, retain the information, and at the same time, revise my past 5 rotations over the entire year of my clinical studies in Melbourne.

At the very moment, I really don’t know how I can do it – the situation at the moment now is just so overwhelming if God is not in the centre of my life. I keep reminding myself that God is in control, and I can draw strength, wisdom, peace and rest from His Spirit. As I cry out to Him, He will respond!!! Really thank Him that I am going through these weeks with a peaceful mind regardless of the amount of syllabus I have to cover, peers around me complaining and comparing how well you need to do with your case presentation, questions and answers they know more than I do… Not gonna let the situation choke me!

John15: 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

God showed me this when I was reading the bible the other day. I am positioning myself in You!!!

Love u heaps mum!!!

My story

ECF just had their campus weekend on 4th-5th May. Ps Steven was asking me to share my testimony on how has God changed my life, so that the testimony can impact other students! Sharon told me the weekend was amazing, good message, amazing students sharing their passion to see their campus changed!! So excited to see what is God gonna do as the students avail themselves to God's work and believe the possibilities that God can do through their lives.

Love that keeps us going!

Share is all I need

Finally got my hands down to blogging!

A lot had been happening!!! The word “revision” echoes in my mind every time I step into the hospital, but thankfully I’m constantly immersed in God’s peace & assurance. I know it’s not an excuse, but I’m blessed to be able to study without feeling stress or panic.

During Urban Life discipleship, Sharene shared about “miracles” & them coming through Jesus, and we were divided into groups where we share our testimonies about what miracle has God brought into our lives. So happen, my group got the topic about “family”!!! Wow!!! I was reminded by what Ps Steven said to me during my last holidays in KL about blogging my heartbeat about telling people about God & how is it different compared to talking it to my family.

Which brings me to the reason of this blog!!!

I have been a believer for 3 years, and every now and then I talk to my friends about God, or share faith with people seeking & wanting to know more about God. It can be challenging at times, because all I want is for them is to get to know who Jesus is, and the things He can do in our lives as we welcome Him into our lives. I don’t do it because church ask me to, or because I wanna be a noble guy to convert everyone, but I do that because I personally encounter such great experiences with Him as I open myself to Him. I want people to have a chance to receive such encounters like I do.

Psa34:4 Taste & see that the Lord is good…

Bible says, taste & you will know. You gotta enjoy it. First encounter is crucial. It’s like me finding a good shop which sells decent laksa in Melbourne, and I went around telling others about it. But until my friend truly tastes it, he wouldn’t know how good it is. He will have an idea about the taste, but he never had an experience because he never tried the laksa.

But I find this exceptionally hard to share with my family. Not that I am doing all these with my strength, but with mum & dad sharing faith isn’t that simple. I don’t have the intention of forcing the details down their throat, but I would like to tell them, why I chose to believe in Jesus, & how much He has sustained me & love me. They see the evidence of God in my life – my life has changed for the better & they themselves affirmed that… but I can’t seem to find proper words or decent opportunities to talk about it.

I might be fearful – afraid that dad will shut me off, don’t wanna offend mum since she’s a strong Buddhist believer, or don’t wanna give them an impression that I’m so sold out for God… I dunno, but I believe it’s harder to share things with the people you’re closed with. Not that they frightens me, somehow, there’s a hindrance. (sounds like I’m contradicting myself)

God has been gracious to me. Over the past 3 years, my family has changed from being so rejectful about God to acceptance that I’m a Christian, support me whenever I go to church, and even had the intention to help me look for one when I first got to Melbourne. Even when mum had her operation, I thank God that I was able to pray for her… Chuen always tells me the change & open doors God has done in my household

But what I truly desire is to see them coming to know who Jesus really is. I know I need God for this miracle, because I dunno how & what way & when things like these can happen. All I need is to believe!!!

Another thought?

I was reading Jesus M.D. today (love this book a lot) - it's just talking about how this missionary doctor view Jesus Christ as the Great Physician & what are some of the things he learnt, and encountered as he journeyed his life as a missionary doctor. I have no intention whatsoever to be a missionary doctor at this point of time(maybe God will do something in future - I don't know) but I just wanna know more about God's thoughts about being a doctor - a doctor that carry His gospel & light around.

Just finished a chapter and this part really caught my attention:

"It convinced me that being a physician on a mission field, like being a Christian committed to serving Christ everywhere, would mean facing situations for which I could never be fully prepared. It would mean taking the risk of trusting God to use me despite my own inadequacies - in knowledge, skill & experience." - David Stevens

Thought of the week??

"Serving God is not about ABILITY. It's AVAILABILITY. When you avail yourself to God, He will then will you with the ability"

"When given a task, I don't see it as a hindrance. I don't take it as a challenge. I see it as an avenue of growth. Something that God wanna teach me. If I don't take it, I might miss whatever that God wants to equip me."

Perception shift! Something that I'm pondering about...

UL4 Core group invades Mornington!

Hope enters life today!

Avalon – Come & Fill my heart

Free, I long to be free
I long for the day I'll believe
That all you say you see in me is true
That's hard for me to do
It's hard for me to die to myself
Entrust my life to someone else
So come empty me out
I'm no good without
You inside of me

Chorus:
Come and fill my heart with hope
Come and fill my life with love
Come and fill my soul with strength to carry on
Because from here the climb is steep, the road is long
Come and fill my days with dreams
Empty me of all the empty things
That I hold onto
Come and fill my heart with you

I need you in my life
Need you like the air that I breath
You've become the very heart of me
And I, I can't believe my eyes
Can't believe the dream that I've found
Lord, your love has turned my world around
So come fill up my heart'
Till I'm like you are
So deep inside of me

Search me, Lord
Try my heart
Come and take me now and make me new
So that all of the world will see you
Overflow in my life


Today is all about Him. All about Him going up to the cross & conquered death to fulfill what is spoken in the lyrics above!

Just being immersed in His love & grace is all I need. It’s sufficient to carry me on. Words can’t fully describe that. It is only revealed by your personal encounter with Him. Really thank Him for all the blessings and His unfailing love for me. From strength to strength He has carried me on throughout these years. Nothing I do can make Him love me less or more. Thank you, Jesus!

Shift!

Felt really overwhelmed & burden yesterday and today. About studies, the thought of exams in June, ministry and random thoughts just made me feel so stretched & tired. I recognized the plot the enemy was setting to weaken my faith especially since I got back from Leaders’ retreat over the weekend. The retreat was empowering and very ministering.

As I was taking the tram back, the bridge of “Sold Out” really spoke!

“I’m holding onto You, All my desires in Your hand. I’m running after You, Jesus!”

Just draw my attention to what God says that He is always in control. His providence is always there to those who seek Him first.

As I got back home, start doing my devotion and just worshipping God, just felt so elevated. Just felt the exchange is happening. He is taking my burden & giving me His yoke for His yoke is light. I am able to find rest in Him!!! & as I was reading the bible, this verse spoke so strongly:

Isa52:1-2Awake, awake O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again. Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion.

It talks about clothing ourselves with God’s strength & glory. Clothes give protection, display glory to those who sees us in it! It talks about don’t let the things of the world and people to pull me down. It talks about shaking off the things that hinders us from coming to God. It talks about breaking free things/thoughts/words/situations that bring us down!

Just wanna proclaim this word every morning!

Cooking galore continues!

Bring Him glory!

Isa49:3 He said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor."

The Message version says “He said to me, "You're my dear servant, Israel, through whom I'll shine."”

The NLT version says “He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, and you will bring me glory.””


God says His servants will display His glory. Through us, His name is adorned!

It got me thinking – How do we reflect His glory? How do we live our life in such a way that His name is lifted high?

It makes me look back to my parents. What are the things/life-events that will put a smile on their face? That they will be so pleased?

I can think of a few…

I know they will be very happy to see their children grown up healthily, living in a good life condition, successful in their career, find their life partner and start to build their own family. More than that, parents will be blessed and thankful when their children grown up with heart & attitude of thanksgiving towards them – for all the sacrifices and time labored to raise their children. In their heart, I can just sense the thanksgiving prayer “Thank God for such a blessed child. Thanks for building this child up to have Your character living actively deep within him.”

I know this will make them proud. This will make them shine. It will definitely bring glory to the family.

Likewise, our Father in heaven will be pleased if He sees His children live a life that glorify His name – life that is constantly pursuing His purpose & will. As we faithfully serve Him, submit and obey the things He has wished in our lives, and trustfully walk in the road that He prepared for us, His love is truly manifested to everyone, His nature and His character is made clear for everyone to experience, and His purpose is to rebuild the relationship that was once lost will be fulfilled.

I believe once we reach the finish line, once we return heaven, He will be standing there – arms wide open, excitedly embrace us with a warm hug and said “Son, welcome home! You’ve make me proud! You’ve bring glory to my name!”

My new home!