Hey guys
Apologies that I haven't been blogging for awhile although I did promise to. Hope all is well and I'll try my best to continue updating every Wednesday from next year so really hope to keep in touch with you readers! (by faith I believe there are some loyal followers! haha )
Would like to write a post about what was really memorable to me in 2012 , and some the achievements I had in this transitional year. I really want to encourage you guys to write one as well. Would really like to find out how your year has been.
Anyway. I started the year still in Smart Learners as a teacher. Ended in March as I wanted to go to SOT. Hence I switched to full time tutoring and SOT studies.
The most memorable event of 2012 for me was definitely going to SOT. I really got to understand and know God on a deeper level and I did many wonderful things by the grace of God in ministry that I never thought possible! Not to mention I made an awesome bunch of friends both in my team and in choir ministry! Here are some events in SOT that really impacted me greatly.
1) I finished reading the Bible for the first time in my life! This was really a challenge but with the encouragement of friends, cell members and classmates, I did it! I found that reading the Bible indeed is a gateway into God's promises and it's like reading God's love letters to us! I was both touched and motivated by the stories of faith , peace and love. All in all, it opened my mind into the incredible amount of knowledge and wisdom that God has for us! Next year I will definetely aim to read it one more time so that the words really comes alive!
2) I was used by God to prophesy quite a bit! To me, this help me to distinguish God's voice and the impressions He leaves in my heart. It also helped me to understand how our God is a loving God who really cares for his children. Further more, He is ever so willing to use us as vessels to do wonders by His name!
Some of the really accurate prophecies I'm really thankful for are.....
1) Prophesying for Jacelyn Tay's son that He will become a man with influence just like Dr A R Bernard! It was actually confirmed by her blog in which she wrote that her son would be a change-maker!
2) Prophesying that God has prepared a special someone for my cell member. True enough, in 2 weeks He got attached!
3) Prophesying that all is going to go well financially for an SOT friend. True enough God blessed her for her faith and she's getting married in Dec !
4) Prophesying for a cell member that He will have the creativity from God to help him in his school projects! True enough, he was in the midst of trying to get inspiration to take his work to a whole new level.
There are still some others that I can't remember but all in all. I really want to thank God for using me as a vessel and for giving me the courage to really speak into the lives of others. Really want to encourage you guys to do the same!
Also would like to thank God for using me to pray for healing as well ! I don't really know if my prayers were answered but by faith I believe! It's a first step to really trusting God to do the miracle through you!
Apart from the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I believe God also showed himself supernaturally to me in many instances during SOT !
1) There was once I was really prompted by the HS to giuve an amount to an international student who was really in need. I knew that it was God when the moment she received it, she teared! A few moments later, another international student blessed me back with the same amount!!!!!! This was the most tangible God-incidence I ever felt !
2) For my preaching during mission trip. I was so stressed the night before that I couldn't sleep. The message I prepared was also very different from the demographic I met at the cell group. BUT, by His supernatural grace and power, the Holy Spirit gave me words to say that I believe brought a very good and strong msg to the people! This was also my first time preaching and it was AWESOME!!!! The whole mission trip was really filled with God's presence !
Other firsts for me in SOT were....
1) Being used in the guitar and cajon ministry!!
2) Day fasting for 21 days!
3) Being delivered
4) Taking different segments in cell group
5) going for a life changing mission trip!!
All in all, SOT really changed my life. It helped to shape my character and build my confidence in the Lord! I also learn very practical skills like planning sermons, preaching, moving in the Holy Spirit, communication skills, discipleship, theology and many more! It you are thinking of going to SOT, I say JUST DO IT! Your life will never be the same again!
Next up, 10 other achievements unlocked in 2012!
A Faith Blog for Everyday Living
Friday, December 21, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Who am I to shine for Jesus Part 1
Have you ever felt so on fire for Jesus that you are provoked by a strong desire to do great things for God in your environment? You listen to the message on the weekend and you’re so eager to start being salt and light in your environment, be it work or school.
However, the ‘realities of time’ soon hits you straight in the face. There are honest mistakes made at work that caused reprimanding from employers. You find it hard to stay focused in class and your grades don’t seem to be improving. You’re not the vocal sort and no matter what you do, people seem to be always looking down on you. You need time to catch concepts and procedures that demand instant responses. You are tasked something but somehow you were not able to do it in the way that your superior wanted.
Suddenly, somehow, that fire that you caught at Church got caught in the blaze of the work place/school instead. You so very much want to shine in your workplace/school but somehow you feel inadequate instead. A little part of you feels like you’re letting God down.
Well, to be honest, this is how I sometimes feel as well. This is why I’m writing this post because as I’m writing, I’m also convincing myself on the truth that God has laid down for us. The good news is that ‘YES’ God knows exactly how you feel as well, and He does have a way through it because He is Jehovah Shalom, the God of peace and Jehovah Rohi, our shepherd.
Always remind yourself that no matter what your going through, God is always ALWAYS thinking of you . A good verse to meditate on is this
Psalm 139:17-18
"How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!"
Firstly, as a basis, let’s look at what God’s nature is and the truths as to what He thinks of us
Romans 8:1
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,”
Galatians 3:28
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
From these 2 verses, we can infer that God is good. He is a God that shows no favouritism. His love is all-encompassing and it doesn’t matter what background, education or work experience you have, He loves all! Rob Bell mentioned in one of this videos that John and Peter, whom God choose to be his disciples, were men who ‘didn’t make it’ in their education. In those days, only the best of the best would continue to further education and be discipled by a Rabi. Those who did not make it would in turn follow in the family business. In their cases, this was being fisherman.
Even so, Jesus, the Rabi of all Rabis, chose these fisherman to be his disciples. What more we, who have diplomas, degrees , A or O Levels! You must understand that God loves us all and you must be assured in your heart that He can use anybody despite the many thousand weaknesses you may have, This assurance of ‘FAITH’ will give you the motivation to get back up despite the mistakes, to try and try and try again! Despite the fact that the journey may be a long a different one, we must continually set our sights on the prize! to know that God has a ‘hope and a future’ for us (Jer 29:11).
Phil 3:14
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus”
Don’t let the evil one steal your faith. Have faith that God will pull through for you!
It is also important to note that a good book to read is Proverbs. Use what you’ve learnt from there and write down some reflections on how you can improve based on guidance from the book.
As what Dr Edwin Louis Cole writes in his book ‘Courage’, always write down what you’ve learnt so that you won’t forget. This way you will be conscious of your mistakes and what you’ve learnt from the Bible to apply to those mistakes.
I pray that you will find new wisdom in your workplace!
Part 2 to come soon !
Friday, November 30, 2012
Identity and the Lion King Part 2
Hey guys, I know it's been 2 days, apologies for the long wait but I'm convinced you will be blessed by this word ! Here's part 2 of the message, it's basically of all Dr Bernard mentioned last week through the movie 'the Lion King'
Let's start off by looking at the life of Simba
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| You were born into the Kingdom of God, with a heavenly father always behind you |
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| Simba, the heir to the Kingdom |
Simba was born into a blessed life of a 'perfect ideal'. He was the son of King Mufasa! Similarly, when we gave our lives to Jesus, we gained the authority as children of God! We became birth into God's kingdom!
However, due to the stampede, Simba's father the King was killed by his uncle while trying to protect Simba.
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| Facing the stampede of life , clinging on to faith! |
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| Sometimes it seems that God is not around, and the enemy is overwhelming |
Similarly, even though we may be born again as a 'perfect new ideal', God puts us in the 'realities of time' where there are good and bad experiences. Sometimes trials hit us right in the face, and we begin to question where God is? We let the negativity get the better of us and we start wandering around in the wilderness , refusing to believe who we really are. Our faith of who we are in Christ begins to get stolen by the thieves. To continue the story....
Shattered by the lost, Simba ran away to an unknown land where he grew up with friends who taught him that life should be as it is and he should be happy! 'Hakkuna Matata'
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| Living as it as, Hakkuna Matata |
Pastor Kong once said that when the trial first started, He was deeply hit and considered dropping the DNA of the church in favor of preference rather than revelation. Thoughts crossed his mind like why don't we just tone down a bit and avoid controversy". Hakkuna Matata, just live as it is. Thank God that he didn't and miracles happened. The Church was called 'City Harvest Church' because we were meant to never stop reaching out in innovative ways for the harvest, so that the world can be blessed by the love of God! Because Pastor maintained his stance and vision, a miracle happened even amidst the crisis. In the week after the case broke out, there was an alter call at service and about 100 people gave their lives to Jesus!
Always know who you are , keep your identity and values. Understand that God doesn't want you to just live as it is. The trials are not there to convince you to tone down, they are there to SPUR you to BREAKTHROUGH IT and when you do, MIRACLES happen!
Later on in the story, we see that Simba's childhood friend Nala found him. Through her conversation with Simba, we learn that Nala was searching high and low for help to restore the kingdom to the glory that it once was.
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| Nala never gave up in seeing the kingdom restored back to its glory, her efforts were not wasted! |
Why was it that of the whole kingdom, only Nala made it out to look for help? The answer is simple. Like the Apostle Paul, this is the 'burden' that we feel when we are 'provoked'
Acts 17:16
'Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. '
Just like Paul, I believe Nala felt a strong sense of responsibility that she has to go out and find help. She could not just let things stay the way they were. I'm sure many of us may have felt that sense of 'burden' just like Paul. Many a times we feel it but we're not motivated enough to take action. A key to get back this motivation is to reflect on how much you believe in the power of the message you hold. How much do you believe that your faith as a key to unlock the doors of blessings! the doors of salvation. Can we be like Paul and start going to the people because he believed his purpose (just like ours) was to share his faith! - Adapted from Dr Bernard
I used to sing a song when I was a young Christian which has a line that says 'it only takes a spark to get a fire going' All it took was a spark from Nala to implant a thought in his heart. At first, Simba was not convinced but a spark was already in his heart. The emotions and curiosity soon burned into a fire when he met Rafiki, who brought him to an encounter with his father's spirit and this totally changed his mindset and spurred him to action! He's father's important words were 'Remember who you are...."
Indeed. Let's be guided by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that He is the way, the truth and the life! (John 14:6) In the midst of difficulties, let's remember who we are in Christ! Let's pray, pray and pray, seeking the Holy Spirit for His wisdom. Our authority was never gone, we had it all the time. All it takes is to believe! On the flip side, let's not belittle the little 'push' of encouragement we can give our friends, family and loved ones. Who knows, we may not see the fruits immediately but we can be assured that there will be a spark planted in them! A spark that can one day ignite the fire of the Holy Spirit! Because the spark in Simba turned into a fire, he was in turn able to convince his friends 'Timmon and Pumba' that life should be more than just living everyday! they were motivated to believe in his vision as well and to fight for him! This is how evangelism should be, when we are so passionate and motivated by our message of faith! This is how our Christian walk should be! We,shining as salt and light to spur others into action and when there is a powerful community of believers in the faith, heaven is open and the gates of hell shall not prevail !!!
Mark 5:36
But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe."
Only believe, only believe!
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| Be guided by the Holy Spirit in the midst of finding who you are. He is always there for you |
Simba believed who he was when he was guided by his father's spirit. He encountered his father's spirit because he was encouraged by his friends and family. He rediscovered his authority, he rediscovered his core identity! In order for the kingdom to have continuity, you must regain and act on your identity! In order for the Church to have continuity, we must never forget who we are, our DNA, our mission and the pillars of faith that we believe in!Like what Pastor Aries said, the confirmation of our faith is when we still see the purposes of God still being fulfilled in our generation, in our Church, in our lives!
Luke 7:22
So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor."
God didn't give a straight yes, He built up his assurance and faith by letting him know that his trials were in the will of God as because he sacrificed to 'prepare the way of the Lord' now you see people getting saved!
Indeed later on you see that because of this John was remembered by God as the greatest prophet! Back to the story!
Apart from regaining his believe in continuity and identity, Simba changed and renewed his thinking.
Romans 12:2
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."
Simba was not satisfied at accepting the facts but he wanted to innovate and make the change in himself in order to obtain the victory. This ultimately led to him winning back the kingdom and bringing back peace, stability and happiness for the animal kingdom.
Just like Simba, if we confess and speak BOLDLY like a lion's roar, salvation, blessings, dreams, visions and LIFE will come to pass!
In the same way, let's be guided by the Holy Spirit and by God's word to rediscover our core identity in who we are in Christ, and our DNA as a Church. Let's focus on the promises and be "innovative as a permanent revolution". Let's harness the creative power God has given us , act on the 'burden for salvation' and innovate in order to reach out to our friends, family, and the world for Christ! All this, so that lives can be built, joy can be shared and the love and peace of God can be bestowed upon the world!
If there are non-believers reading this post, I would just like to say that the reason why we are so passionate about evangelism is because we have experienced God's love. We have experienced how our lives have changed for the better, how we have obtained visions and dreams, and how we have found our purpose in this world! Think about it. There is a heavenly Father who cares and loves us so much that He's willing to give up his son to die on the cross for our sins. In exchange, we can have the assurance that God will always be there for us!
To me, that is an assuring fact and one that helps me live day by day, guided by the spirit through the ups and downs of life and still come out victorious! Further more, it gives me the assurance that all I do here on earth is worth it as it will go forth into eternity . Life and our faith is not temporal upon death, it continues into eternity in heaven!
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| The race of life goes all the way to eternity with Christ! Credit to http://creattica.com/ipad/race-to-eternity/41003 for the picture |
I would like to bring you all back to a promise from God that I'm sure will be a blessing to you!
Romans 8:38
"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love."
To end, I would like to encourage you guys through a song. A song to remind us that we exists in this world for a purpose. Don't just be living life as it is, hakkuna matata. Instead, look around you, there are many people in this world who are struggling with life. You may ask 'why doesn't God help them. To answer this question, why not ask yourself , 'have you done anything yourself?' God wants so much to help them, but he wants to do it THROUGH US. That's why He called us co-creators
Gen 1 :26-28
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
To rule/subdue doesn't just mean to take control. It means to care , to help, to reach out with God's love , to be a servant. To bring forth the glory of God just as it was intended! How to we do this? by using the 'blessings' of God and cultivating the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. By being fruitful and by keeping our faith, portraying aggressive faith, remembering our identity and purpose (taking action for our 'burden') and innovating to stay relevant, we can shine for Christ as influencial people who are 'salt of the earth' and light of the world'! (Matt 5:13-16)
This is I was here by Alison, Rinnata and Bel at CHC. Thank you for taking time to read all the way till this point! If you are blessed by this message, do email me your thoughts and comments @ danielfoo85@hotmail.com
Be blessed !
Daniel Foo
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Identity and the Lion King Part 1
Greetings !
I attended a meeting with Dr A R Bernard on Tuesday and it was such a revelational message. He spoke differently from the weekend and taught in a more colloquial way on organizational leadership in the Church.
As I reflect back today, a film came to my mind, 'The Lion King'. This was shown last week on ch5 and I somehow stumbled upon it (now I believe it could be God's intention)
Before we analyse the film, let's go through some of the wonderful and inspirational points that Dr Bernard mentioned..
He spoke to us about never forgetting who we are in Christ. As in individual, it is about us having a heavenly Father and the authority we have in Jesus. Corporately, this is our DNA as a Church. Our corporate identity, our values, what we do and who we are!
You see Dr Bernard gave a very good illustration about branding. The reason why most of the major companies you see today, such as Mcdonalds or Starbucks, have such success is because of 2 things.
Firstly, they base their businesses on finding ways to serve people ( Greatness speaks of service, John 13:12-17 ) and secondly, they focus on longevity! Dr Bernard termed longevity as having both continuity ( maintaining your values and identity ) and change ( willingness to adapt in order to stay refreshed and relevant to society )
In order to have effective change, you must have innovation. I particularly like the phrase Dr Bernard used in that 'innovation is a permanent revolution' ! If you are able to be consistently innovative in doing things, then you will always find success no matter how the world, pop culture or trends change. Renewal can always take place and longevity can be achieved. The question is, 'Can we be 'built to last?' .(Obama)
Similarly, as a Church, we have to maintain our values and core identity. For my Church, it is the pillars of the Great Commandment , the Great Commission and the Cultural Mandate. No matter what happens, we have to always trust God and continue doing what we do and know why we do it! Here's 2 verses that Paul mentions.....
Romans 8:38
"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love."
Romans 1:14
14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.
What we can infer here is that Paul believed and was convinced in the message so much that to him, it is an obligation to preach it! Do we believe in our message? are we convinced that we hold the truth to life that can bring salvation, joy, love, blessings and fruitfulness? The answer is a definite 'YES'
Keep trusting God, keep believing in the message you preach!
Now that we got our core identity intact, let's look at some verses on being innovative.
Matt 13:52
52 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
Though our identity is the same, our method of delivery can change with innovation in order to stay relevant! For my Church, in the past, we didn't have the big screen. We didn't have our worship style, we didn't have SOT, we didn't have the crossover project.All of these ideas took innovation, which helped us stay relevant to society and definitely played a part in helping the Church grow. If we just stayed where we were and became contented in just being a small Church to please ourselves, then we'll miss out the whole point of why we started Church in the first place.
We are who we are because we exercise faith despite the circumstances! Just like how Paul was provoked by the spiritual atmosphere in Athens (Acts 17:17) Are we provoked enough to be a blessing to places that need God's love, even though we may face trials and tribulations and attacks from the enemy? Are we faithful to believe there will always be BELIEVERS in the people we reach out to in the midst of the crowd? (Peter : Acts 2:41)
Now how does it relate to the story of the Lion King? Stay tuned for Part 2 ( In the meantime, why not watch the Lion King to get more revelations on the next post! )
God Bless
Daniel Foo
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| Dr A R Bernard |
I attended a meeting with Dr A R Bernard on Tuesday and it was such a revelational message. He spoke differently from the weekend and taught in a more colloquial way on organizational leadership in the Church.
As I reflect back today, a film came to my mind, 'The Lion King'. This was shown last week on ch5 and I somehow stumbled upon it (now I believe it could be God's intention)
 |
| The Lion King |
He spoke to us about never forgetting who we are in Christ. As in individual, it is about us having a heavenly Father and the authority we have in Jesus. Corporately, this is our DNA as a Church. Our corporate identity, our values, what we do and who we are!
You see Dr Bernard gave a very good illustration about branding. The reason why most of the major companies you see today, such as Mcdonalds or Starbucks, have such success is because of 2 things.
Firstly, they base their businesses on finding ways to serve people ( Greatness speaks of service, John 13:12-17 ) and secondly, they focus on longevity! Dr Bernard termed longevity as having both continuity ( maintaining your values and identity ) and change ( willingness to adapt in order to stay refreshed and relevant to society )
 |
| Greatness speaks of service |
In order to have effective change, you must have innovation. I particularly like the phrase Dr Bernard used in that 'innovation is a permanent revolution' ! If you are able to be consistently innovative in doing things, then you will always find success no matter how the world, pop culture or trends change. Renewal can always take place and longevity can be achieved. The question is, 'Can we be 'built to last?' .(Obama)
Similarly, as a Church, we have to maintain our values and core identity. For my Church, it is the pillars of the Great Commandment , the Great Commission and the Cultural Mandate. No matter what happens, we have to always trust God and continue doing what we do and know why we do it! Here's 2 verses that Paul mentions.....
Romans 8:38
"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love."
Romans 1:14
14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.
What we can infer here is that Paul believed and was convinced in the message so much that to him, it is an obligation to preach it! Do we believe in our message? are we convinced that we hold the truth to life that can bring salvation, joy, love, blessings and fruitfulness? The answer is a definite 'YES'
Keep trusting God, keep believing in the message you preach!
Now that we got our core identity intact, let's look at some verses on being innovative.
Matt 13:52
52 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
Though our identity is the same, our method of delivery can change with innovation in order to stay relevant! For my Church, in the past, we didn't have the big screen. We didn't have our worship style, we didn't have SOT, we didn't have the crossover project.All of these ideas took innovation, which helped us stay relevant to society and definitely played a part in helping the Church grow. If we just stayed where we were and became contented in just being a small Church to please ourselves, then we'll miss out the whole point of why we started Church in the first place.
We are who we are because we exercise faith despite the circumstances! Just like how Paul was provoked by the spiritual atmosphere in Athens (Acts 17:17) Are we provoked enough to be a blessing to places that need God's love, even though we may face trials and tribulations and attacks from the enemy? Are we faithful to believe there will always be BELIEVERS in the people we reach out to in the midst of the crowd? (Peter : Acts 2:41)
Now how does it relate to the story of the Lion King? Stay tuned for Part 2 ( In the meantime, why not watch the Lion King to get more revelations on the next post! )
God Bless
Daniel Foo
Monday, November 26, 2012
83-79 - The Journey Part 2
For the next few weeks, I kept to a steady regime of running 3-4 times a week, at distances of at least 4.5km each time.
Trust me in this, once you pass the 3rd week, you fitness levels will start to increase and you wont feel tired when running. All you need to do is to breath regular breaths while running.
A good way to stay motivated is of course to listen to music, which is a must for me. When I want to push myself, I listen to fast songs (highly recommend Civilisation , the Addidas advertisement song). When I'm thinking about life while running, I would listen to some upbeat catchy songs from artists like David Choi, Kina Grannis or Jayesslee
The best of which, is to listen to Christian songs! because your not only burning fat while running, but you're also building your faith by listening to the lyrics and remembering God's goodness! Some recommendations are Kari Jobe and Chris Tomlin.
It is also very crucial that you do proper stretching before exercise. This is because even though sometimes you may feel energised from your lungs, your legs may have the feeling of tightness or lack of strength. This is why stretching is important as it helps to warm up your legs and prevent these feelings. I cannot emphasize this enough.
With alot of aggressive faith, I'm aiming for 75kg by the end of the year. I would like you guys to join me as well in achieving your weight lost targets before year end. Let's really spur one another on!
You can email me @ danielfoo85@hotmail.com for any questions
Regards,
Daniel Foo
Trust me in this, once you pass the 3rd week, you fitness levels will start to increase and you wont feel tired when running. All you need to do is to breath regular breaths while running.
A good way to stay motivated is of course to listen to music, which is a must for me. When I want to push myself, I listen to fast songs (highly recommend Civilisation , the Addidas advertisement song). When I'm thinking about life while running, I would listen to some upbeat catchy songs from artists like David Choi, Kina Grannis or Jayesslee
The best of which, is to listen to Christian songs! because your not only burning fat while running, but you're also building your faith by listening to the lyrics and remembering God's goodness! Some recommendations are Kari Jobe and Chris Tomlin.
It is also very crucial that you do proper stretching before exercise. This is because even though sometimes you may feel energised from your lungs, your legs may have the feeling of tightness or lack of strength. This is why stretching is important as it helps to warm up your legs and prevent these feelings. I cannot emphasize this enough.
With alot of aggressive faith, I'm aiming for 75kg by the end of the year. I would like you guys to join me as well in achieving your weight lost targets before year end. Let's really spur one another on!
You can email me @ danielfoo85@hotmail.com for any questions
Regards,
Daniel Foo
Sunday, November 25, 2012
83KG - 79KG the Journey Part 1
After 3 article posts, I thought I'll do something a little light hearted today.
I recently weighed myself and am very pleased to annouce that I have lost 4KG since I started and continued with an exercise plan dated back to 1st October 2012.
Before I continue I would like to share with you all a verse that can help you motivate yourself to start getting fit and in shape. It is a verse from Dr Bernard's sermon about aggressive faith
Heb 11:32-38
32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens
As Dr Bernard shared, notice all the verbs used are rather strong verbs, and because I'm named after Daniel, I particularly like the part which says 'stopped the mouth of lions'
After having put on so much weight the past year, which reduced my confidence to an all-time low, I decided to shout to myself 'STOP!' 'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH' 'STOP the empty promises, it's time to put words into action. It's time to start exercising to my ideal weight! It's time to get my body into the shape that can better serve God and influence people!
All this while my exercises have lasted for a maximum of 2 weeks. After that I start to lose focus and the moment I start to procrasinate and say 'it's ok, I'll make it up by running more tomorrow' is the moment when my failure starts to kick in. 1 day become 2 days which became 1 week and before I knew it, I was back to square 1. It's time to STOP this procrasination. It's time to get down to business!
It was quite a difficult process as initially, I couldn't see any results for the first few weeks and it got me a little demoralized. But at that point I had 2 choices, either give up and accept the facts, or just perserve anyway believing that one day the results will show! Thank God that I chose the latter. I ran and ran and ran.
On a side note, I would like to personally thank the programmers of runkeeper for creating such an awesome application.
For the first week of Oct, I ran 5 times, starting from 3km and slowly increasing it to 4 to start getting my fitness levels up. This is the stage where mentality is key. Dr Robi once said that this is the stage where you are driven by what you don't what, which is a bulging tummy. This is the stage where you start to plan your goals.
For the second week, I slowed down the intensity to 4 times. However, I ran mostly more than 4km with the highest being 6.86km.
For the third week, this is the period where like how Dr Robi mentions, your negetive motivation from what you don't want decreases. Now is when you need to get your motivation from what you want, or positive motivation. My positive motivations were to be 65kg and shinning for Jesus! This was one of my best weeks as I never crossed the 3 week mark before. I ran a total of 4 times with a distance of 5-6km each time.
For the 4th week, this was when I needed to maintain consistency. I knew that the moment I stopped, my momentum would stop as well. I continued where I left off and ran 4 times alternating between 5-6km. The reason why I didn't increase the distance was because I knew that it would put pressure on the next time I ran. I wanted to do it slowly but consistently rather than big jumps in distances and later lose motivation due to the pressure of needing to keep up.
At this point, somehow, my weight was still the same! This was when encouragement from friends played a crucial role. I complained about it on facebook and the friends who commented really gave some useful tips and explainations. This is why someimtes you can only go so far as an individual, but if you have friends and family, or work as a team, you can accomplish much more. This is why we must constantly encourage one other!
Spurred on again with extra motivation, I decided to try running less times but covering bigger distances as it was told to me that fats start burning effectively only after 30 mins of running. For the next week, I went for the juggular and did 2 sessions of 10km respectively! it was a milestone achievement as I never ran 10km before! If it wasn't for my friends who encouraged me, this would not have been possible!
Finally, after the 4th week, I noticed a difference! I had lost 2kg . I think the reason why it was so little was because I wasn't watching my diet. My diet stayed the same as I didn't believing in dieting and I loved food too much! But again, under the guidance of Yuxin, I was motivated to do slight changes to my diet. She questioned my motivation and told me that if I really wanted to be effective, diet is important.This got me stirred up again and one of the steps I took was to half my carbo intake.
Part 2 to come soon! Stay motivated! Stay encouraged! Remenmber there are no 'if's' in this world, there is only ' JUST DO IT'
I recently weighed myself and am very pleased to annouce that I have lost 4KG since I started and continued with an exercise plan dated back to 1st October 2012.
Before I continue I would like to share with you all a verse that can help you motivate yourself to start getting fit and in shape. It is a verse from Dr Bernard's sermon about aggressive faith
Heb 11:32-38
32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens
As Dr Bernard shared, notice all the verbs used are rather strong verbs, and because I'm named after Daniel, I particularly like the part which says 'stopped the mouth of lions'
After having put on so much weight the past year, which reduced my confidence to an all-time low, I decided to shout to myself 'STOP!' 'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH' 'STOP the empty promises, it's time to put words into action. It's time to start exercising to my ideal weight! It's time to get my body into the shape that can better serve God and influence people!
All this while my exercises have lasted for a maximum of 2 weeks. After that I start to lose focus and the moment I start to procrasinate and say 'it's ok, I'll make it up by running more tomorrow' is the moment when my failure starts to kick in. 1 day become 2 days which became 1 week and before I knew it, I was back to square 1. It's time to STOP this procrasination. It's time to get down to business!
It was quite a difficult process as initially, I couldn't see any results for the first few weeks and it got me a little demoralized. But at that point I had 2 choices, either give up and accept the facts, or just perserve anyway believing that one day the results will show! Thank God that I chose the latter. I ran and ran and ran.
On a side note, I would like to personally thank the programmers of runkeeper for creating such an awesome application.
For the first week of Oct, I ran 5 times, starting from 3km and slowly increasing it to 4 to start getting my fitness levels up. This is the stage where mentality is key. Dr Robi once said that this is the stage where you are driven by what you don't what, which is a bulging tummy. This is the stage where you start to plan your goals.
For the second week, I slowed down the intensity to 4 times. However, I ran mostly more than 4km with the highest being 6.86km.
For the third week, this is the period where like how Dr Robi mentions, your negetive motivation from what you don't want decreases. Now is when you need to get your motivation from what you want, or positive motivation. My positive motivations were to be 65kg and shinning for Jesus! This was one of my best weeks as I never crossed the 3 week mark before. I ran a total of 4 times with a distance of 5-6km each time.
For the 4th week, this was when I needed to maintain consistency. I knew that the moment I stopped, my momentum would stop as well. I continued where I left off and ran 4 times alternating between 5-6km. The reason why I didn't increase the distance was because I knew that it would put pressure on the next time I ran. I wanted to do it slowly but consistently rather than big jumps in distances and later lose motivation due to the pressure of needing to keep up.
At this point, somehow, my weight was still the same! This was when encouragement from friends played a crucial role. I complained about it on facebook and the friends who commented really gave some useful tips and explainations. This is why someimtes you can only go so far as an individual, but if you have friends and family, or work as a team, you can accomplish much more. This is why we must constantly encourage one other!
Spurred on again with extra motivation, I decided to try running less times but covering bigger distances as it was told to me that fats start burning effectively only after 30 mins of running. For the next week, I went for the juggular and did 2 sessions of 10km respectively! it was a milestone achievement as I never ran 10km before! If it wasn't for my friends who encouraged me, this would not have been possible!
Finally, after the 4th week, I noticed a difference! I had lost 2kg . I think the reason why it was so little was because I wasn't watching my diet. My diet stayed the same as I didn't believing in dieting and I loved food too much! But again, under the guidance of Yuxin, I was motivated to do slight changes to my diet. She questioned my motivation and told me that if I really wanted to be effective, diet is important.This got me stirred up again and one of the steps I took was to half my carbo intake.
Part 2 to come soon! Stay motivated! Stay encouraged! Remenmber there are no 'if's' in this world, there is only ' JUST DO IT'
Friday, November 23, 2012
Coincidence? More like God-incidence!
Yesterday was really a very beautiful day. It was one of those days that I really felt that God spoke to me. A day the promises of God really sank into my heart that our God is indeed a good God.and He is a God that will never let us down! Faithful till the very end even though we may be faithless! Here's my story :
I don't know why but the past few days I was feeling quite down. Most of which was because I was looking all around me and people were blessed. I know I am blessed too but sometimes I do feel there is a void inside of me. A void just like how Adam felt when he was alone with God. Yes he loved God but God saw that he was the type of man who needed companionship. A physical companion that could share joy, laughter, pain and just live life together, praising and worshiping God and doing His will. God saw his need and in due season, brought Eve to him.
Similarly. I do enjoy serving God and seeking Him for his goodness. But there's really a part of me that longs for companionship. Someone whom I can grow old with. Someone whom I can share things with. Right now I do have my friends but surely your friends can't entertain you all the time. There are really many things I sincerely wish I had someone to share with, and someone whom I can enjoy and look forward to her company after a hard day's work....
But it all doesn't seem to be happening for me. I seriously envied my friends who were attached, The status updates and facebook photos of trips and dates really made me quite envious although, I know that the Bible teachers us not to...
So yesterday morning, all the pain and feelings of loneliness somehow woke up at 6am despite me having slept at about 1+am.
I thought to myself, maybe I'll just pray since I'm up so early. I asked God for a verse to speak to my situation and I saw Romans 15:13 on my Bible.
Romans 15:13
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I didn't think much of the verse as it didn't jump out to me when I was meditating on it. I guess it was because my whole mind was thinking about why God hasn't shown up for me. Yes I've heard many of the promises but I just don't see the fruits! It almost came to a point where I felt like breaking down...
On the way to work, I sort of complained about these things to Guo Wei, who is really a good mentor. He sent me a text to say that it is like eating porridge. You may not feel like eating it now because when you look around, everybody is feasting on delicacies. However, keep waiting, keep praying and one day God is going show up when you least expect it. One day, you are going to feast on a meal fit for kings and there are going to many many, many of such meals because God is not a God that He should lie.
These words got me uplifted to go through my day at work. I wasn't expecting much during CG as I heard it was going to be a short one. However, I was wrong. The worship brought me back to the knowledge of God's goodness. And then came the moment of prophecy. I'll admit that normally (although not always) I don't listen that attentively to prophecies but rather, just agree in faith but this was one of the times I decided to really listen attentively and was I surprised at the revelations of truth....
Andy told me that somehow God showed him a verse that he didn't know of. It was from James 5:7
"Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand."
Immediately I could sense that it was God who told him to prophecy about this. It spoke directly to my heart and at that moment, I was just so touched by the presence of God. I literally felt that God was saying
'Hey man, I'm here, I'm faithful even when you're faithless. I heard all your prayers, but there is a season for everything, and I would like you to be like the farmer who has planted his seed. When a farmer plants his seed, will he be expecting that the seed will grow? Of course!!! it is based on natural law that the seed will grow. I am bigger, and I will show you my supernatural law that the seed will not only grow, but it will grow so big that your house will not be able to contain it! When you are waiting, I am working and in due season you will reap the harvest of your precious fruit!!!! Have the REST of God."
Just to side track abit, a couple of days before I got a text from another good friend, Yirong, who told me of Ecclesiates 3:1 -8
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
Again I didn't think much of it at that time but only briefly spoke of how God gives us different seasons so we can grow and help others.
Now I know why He planted this verse earlier in the week. It all comes down to this point. In verse 2 it says 'a time to plant and a time to uproot' He didn't say a time to plant and a time to maybe uproot... no! it is certain that after planting , comes the time to uproot or reap the harvest!!!! The harvest for the feast which was to come!! as said by Guo Wei.
Andy kept reminding the CG to keep waiting, waiting and waiting for the Lord for He is Good! He then followed up with another verse which, God-incidently enough, I came across while watching X-factor a few days back but didn't take much notice of it. It was thanksgiving week and a group was saying this to thank God for helping them through life and getting them to where they are now....
It was Philippians 4:6
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Again, it spoke to my heart that I shouldn't be anxious about what I don't have and whether it will come to pass because God is good and His ways are higher than our ways, He already said that He plans to give us a hope and a future (Jer 29:11) and He said that He is God that cannot lie! (Num 23:19) It is impossible ! (something I learnt in Bible Study on Wednesday as well. Pastor showed us a white paper and said if God says this is black, would you be stunned? of course! that is why it would be impossible for God to lie) Instead of being anxious, why not use that energy to pray and keep praying! to thank and keep thanking! And indeed like the verse Gershon mentioned to me the previous week of Philippians 4:19
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
After Andy, Hui Yun followed up on what he said. Giving the verse of Isaiah 54:1
"Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband," says the LORD.
At the meeting, she only mentioned the first part of the verse which was enough to speak to me. What I needed to do now, was not to worry about getting attached or getting a job, but instead to keep walking in God's ways and singing praises with thanksgiving and joy of God's goodness for He will provide!
Now that I read the whole verse, I really do feel that the verse is speaking to me as it says "more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband," says the LORD." Apart from speaking of this figuratively as a person who has gone through trials receiving a bountiful blessing, I do believe that this is also speaking to me figuratively about marriage and that indeed in due season, blessed will you be for you have waited patiently for this woman.
More casually, I imagine Jesus saying ' look, there is a woman after my own heart who loves me with her whole heart. She has given her life to put me first and not think about just getting married as an institution that needs to be fulfilled. She is waiting for the right guy to come, someone whom she can follow and grow with. Someone who loves her for who she is and abides by the values of the Bible.A man after God's own heart. Someone who can be there for her and whom together as a family, can fulfill the promises of God!
"Daniel, I am raising you up to be that man for her, and the blessings that I promised her will come through you, so be of good courage and wait upon the Lord, (Adapted from Psalm 27:14) for I am good and I want you not to just think of getting attached, but think of how you can raise yourself to really be a blessing to the girl of your dreams. Someone who can be like how Christ is to the Church, ever faithful, ever loving. Someone who can reflect and bring total dependence on God at the centre of your life and hers. "
Isn't it amazing how God works and speaks through people Amazing.
The 3rd prophecy came from Napalie, it was the same verse that I was medietating about in the morning ! This time, after the first 2 prophecies, I knew that I knew that I knew that the verse from Romans 15:13 was a confirmation of everything about the other 2 prophecies.
Romans 15:13
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
God is a God of hope! that's why He created the laws of sowing and reaping, to show us that there is a season of reaping that will bring great JOY and PEACE that it will happen because God is a faithful God. If naturally, seeds will grow 1 to 1, supernaturally it will grow 1:100!
The God of hope saw my spiritual state of weariness, sent words of encouragement and prophecies ( from Andy , Guo Wei, Yirong, X-factor, Bible study on wed, Huiyun, Napalie, YouVersion ) in order to fill me up again with Joy and Peace that allowed me to again affirm my trust in God. With this trust , I am now, personally, able to again overflow with HOPE because I have found the renewed power of the Holy Spirit amidst all of this , who was with me all this while, supernaturally encouraging me to grow in HOPE upon the Lord.
Yesterday was truly a blessed day and I do hope you have been encouraged and blessed by my testimony. Friends, I would just like to end by saying, this is what cell groups and seeking the Lord is all about. It is a place where God can meet you, speak to you and direct your paths to a bright future of glorification that you would have never thought possible, for the glory of God. It is where you build bonds with fellow Christians who can speak the words of God into your lives, especially when you least expect it. It is a place that God can use you to be a vessel to speak blessings to others!
I would have never been so encouraged and assured of God's promises if it wasn't for cell group and Church. This all would not have happened if I was just an occasional visitor, going to Church or cell only when I feel like it. But this blessing happened because I chose to commit. It's just like what Huiyun said, I chose to keep attending Church and cell, singing and praising God even though I may not feel like it because I know that one day, and truly enough yesterday was the day, God will show up and speak so directly and clearly to my situation, showing His loving presence to my heart, to be a big big encouragement for me! I'm assured that if I keep believing, confessing , testifying, reading, praising and praying, the day will come that I can reap the harvest! (what I wrote on the back of my arise and build envelop)
Rev 3:16 - A verse reminded to me by Gershon
So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Let's not be lukewarm Christians, like what Gershon mentioned. If a coke is warm, or a hot milo is warm, is it as delicious as it should be? Certainly not! Why stay at that state when you know you were destined to be at a state where you are a tremendous blessing to others, just like a thirsty man desiring a fresh, cold coke or a shivering man in need of a hot cup of milo.
Let's not just be Christians who live for ourselves, but Christians who live for others and when we serve others, God will serve us even more through his love in order for us to walk in His perfect will for our lives!
Don't belittle cell groups and services, don't belittle how God can use you if you chose to commit to Him and His Church! Where did we first experience God's love wholly, at Church , the place where we will continue to be filled with his presence and where He can speak to us so vividly for our future if we choose to be committed. A place where we will find Him again when we were lost and searching !
Hope you enjoyed the post! I would like to leave you with an inspirational picture and a song by Kari Jobe which speaks of God's faithfulness!
God Bless!
Daniel Foo
If you have any thoughts or have been blessed by this post, feel free to email me @danielfoo85@hotmail.com
We will find God at the place we met Him, Church!
I don't know why but the past few days I was feeling quite down. Most of which was because I was looking all around me and people were blessed. I know I am blessed too but sometimes I do feel there is a void inside of me. A void just like how Adam felt when he was alone with God. Yes he loved God but God saw that he was the type of man who needed companionship. A physical companion that could share joy, laughter, pain and just live life together, praising and worshiping God and doing His will. God saw his need and in due season, brought Eve to him.
 |
| Sending Eve to Adam when he was needed someone to share life with |
Similarly. I do enjoy serving God and seeking Him for his goodness. But there's really a part of me that longs for companionship. Someone whom I can grow old with. Someone whom I can share things with. Right now I do have my friends but surely your friends can't entertain you all the time. There are really many things I sincerely wish I had someone to share with, and someone whom I can enjoy and look forward to her company after a hard day's work....
But it all doesn't seem to be happening for me. I seriously envied my friends who were attached, The status updates and facebook photos of trips and dates really made me quite envious although, I know that the Bible teachers us not to...
So yesterday morning, all the pain and feelings of loneliness somehow woke up at 6am despite me having slept at about 1+am.
I thought to myself, maybe I'll just pray since I'm up so early. I asked God for a verse to speak to my situation and I saw Romans 15:13 on my Bible.
Romans 15:13
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I didn't think much of the verse as it didn't jump out to me when I was meditating on it. I guess it was because my whole mind was thinking about why God hasn't shown up for me. Yes I've heard many of the promises but I just don't see the fruits! It almost came to a point where I felt like breaking down...
On the way to work, I sort of complained about these things to Guo Wei, who is really a good mentor. He sent me a text to say that it is like eating porridge. You may not feel like eating it now because when you look around, everybody is feasting on delicacies. However, keep waiting, keep praying and one day God is going show up when you least expect it. One day, you are going to feast on a meal fit for kings and there are going to many many, many of such meals because God is not a God that He should lie.
 |
| Imagining the feast God has prepared for you! |
These words got me uplifted to go through my day at work. I wasn't expecting much during CG as I heard it was going to be a short one. However, I was wrong. The worship brought me back to the knowledge of God's goodness. And then came the moment of prophecy. I'll admit that normally (although not always) I don't listen that attentively to prophecies but rather, just agree in faith but this was one of the times I decided to really listen attentively and was I surprised at the revelations of truth....
Andy told me that somehow God showed him a verse that he didn't know of. It was from James 5:7
"Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand."
 | |
| A farmer sowing the seeds of blessings, patiently waiting for the season of reaping! |
 |
| The bountiful Harvest! |
Immediately I could sense that it was God who told him to prophecy about this. It spoke directly to my heart and at that moment, I was just so touched by the presence of God. I literally felt that God was saying
'Hey man, I'm here, I'm faithful even when you're faithless. I heard all your prayers, but there is a season for everything, and I would like you to be like the farmer who has planted his seed. When a farmer plants his seed, will he be expecting that the seed will grow? Of course!!! it is based on natural law that the seed will grow. I am bigger, and I will show you my supernatural law that the seed will not only grow, but it will grow so big that your house will not be able to contain it! When you are waiting, I am working and in due season you will reap the harvest of your precious fruit!!!! Have the REST of God."
Just to side track abit, a couple of days before I got a text from another good friend, Yirong, who told me of Ecclesiates 3:1 -8
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Again I didn't think much of it at that time but only briefly spoke of how God gives us different seasons so we can grow and help others.
Now I know why He planted this verse earlier in the week. It all comes down to this point. In verse 2 it says 'a time to plant and a time to uproot' He didn't say a time to plant and a time to maybe uproot... no! it is certain that after planting , comes the time to uproot or reap the harvest!!!! The harvest for the feast which was to come!! as said by Guo Wei.
Andy kept reminding the CG to keep waiting, waiting and waiting for the Lord for He is Good! He then followed up with another verse which, God-incidently enough, I came across while watching X-factor a few days back but didn't take much notice of it. It was thanksgiving week and a group was saying this to thank God for helping them through life and getting them to where they are now....
It was Philippians 4:6
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Again, it spoke to my heart that I shouldn't be anxious about what I don't have and whether it will come to pass because God is good and His ways are higher than our ways, He already said that He plans to give us a hope and a future (Jer 29:11) and He said that He is God that cannot lie! (Num 23:19) It is impossible ! (something I learnt in Bible Study on Wednesday as well. Pastor showed us a white paper and said if God says this is black, would you be stunned? of course! that is why it would be impossible for God to lie) Instead of being anxious, why not use that energy to pray and keep praying! to thank and keep thanking! And indeed like the verse Gershon mentioned to me the previous week of Philippians 4:19
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
 |
| God Provides!! He is faithful ! |
After Andy, Hui Yun followed up on what he said. Giving the verse of Isaiah 54:1
"Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband," says the LORD.
At the meeting, she only mentioned the first part of the verse which was enough to speak to me. What I needed to do now, was not to worry about getting attached or getting a job, but instead to keep walking in God's ways and singing praises with thanksgiving and joy of God's goodness for He will provide!
Now that I read the whole verse, I really do feel that the verse is speaking to me as it says "more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband," says the LORD." Apart from speaking of this figuratively as a person who has gone through trials receiving a bountiful blessing, I do believe that this is also speaking to me figuratively about marriage and that indeed in due season, blessed will you be for you have waited patiently for this woman.
 |
| There is a woman praying to God for someone after God's own heart |
More casually, I imagine Jesus saying ' look, there is a woman after my own heart who loves me with her whole heart. She has given her life to put me first and not think about just getting married as an institution that needs to be fulfilled. She is waiting for the right guy to come, someone whom she can follow and grow with. Someone who loves her for who she is and abides by the values of the Bible.A man after God's own heart. Someone who can be there for her and whom together as a family, can fulfill the promises of God!
 |
| Bride waiting for her groom |
"Daniel, I am raising you up to be that man for her, and the blessings that I promised her will come through you, so be of good courage and wait upon the Lord, (Adapted from Psalm 27:14) for I am good and I want you not to just think of getting attached, but think of how you can raise yourself to really be a blessing to the girl of your dreams. Someone who can be like how Christ is to the Church, ever faithful, ever loving. Someone who can reflect and bring total dependence on God at the centre of your life and hers. "
Isn't it amazing how God works and speaks through people Amazing.
The 3rd prophecy came from Napalie, it was the same verse that I was medietating about in the morning ! This time, after the first 2 prophecies, I knew that I knew that I knew that the verse from Romans 15:13 was a confirmation of everything about the other 2 prophecies.
Romans 15:13
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
God is a God of hope! that's why He created the laws of sowing and reaping, to show us that there is a season of reaping that will bring great JOY and PEACE that it will happen because God is a faithful God. If naturally, seeds will grow 1 to 1, supernaturally it will grow 1:100!
 |
| Supernatural Harvest |
The God of hope saw my spiritual state of weariness, sent words of encouragement and prophecies ( from Andy , Guo Wei, Yirong, X-factor, Bible study on wed, Huiyun, Napalie, YouVersion ) in order to fill me up again with Joy and Peace that allowed me to again affirm my trust in God. With this trust , I am now, personally, able to again overflow with HOPE because I have found the renewed power of the Holy Spirit amidst all of this , who was with me all this while, supernaturally encouraging me to grow in HOPE upon the Lord.
Yesterday was truly a blessed day and I do hope you have been encouraged and blessed by my testimony. Friends, I would just like to end by saying, this is what cell groups and seeking the Lord is all about. It is a place where God can meet you, speak to you and direct your paths to a bright future of glorification that you would have never thought possible, for the glory of God. It is where you build bonds with fellow Christians who can speak the words of God into your lives, especially when you least expect it. It is a place that God can use you to be a vessel to speak blessings to others!
I would have never been so encouraged and assured of God's promises if it wasn't for cell group and Church. This all would not have happened if I was just an occasional visitor, going to Church or cell only when I feel like it. But this blessing happened because I chose to commit. It's just like what Huiyun said, I chose to keep attending Church and cell, singing and praising God even though I may not feel like it because I know that one day, and truly enough yesterday was the day, God will show up and speak so directly and clearly to my situation, showing His loving presence to my heart, to be a big big encouragement for me! I'm assured that if I keep believing, confessing , testifying, reading, praising and praying, the day will come that I can reap the harvest! (what I wrote on the back of my arise and build envelop)
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| The Church is a spiritual family where we can build each other up and move in the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be a blessing to others! |
Rev 3:16 - A verse reminded to me by Gershon
So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Let's not be lukewarm Christians, like what Gershon mentioned. If a coke is warm, or a hot milo is warm, is it as delicious as it should be? Certainly not! Why stay at that state when you know you were destined to be at a state where you are a tremendous blessing to others, just like a thirsty man desiring a fresh, cold coke or a shivering man in need of a hot cup of milo.
Let's not just be Christians who live for ourselves, but Christians who live for others and when we serve others, God will serve us even more through his love in order for us to walk in His perfect will for our lives!
Don't belittle cell groups and services, don't belittle how God can use you if you chose to commit to Him and His Church! Where did we first experience God's love wholly, at Church , the place where we will continue to be filled with his presence and where He can speak to us so vividly for our future if we choose to be committed. A place where we will find Him again when we were lost and searching !
Hope you enjoyed the post! I would like to leave you with an inspirational picture and a song by Kari Jobe which speaks of God's faithfulness!
God Bless!
Daniel Foo
If you have any thoughts or have been blessed by this post, feel free to email me @danielfoo85@hotmail.com
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