Friday, December 17, 2010

Back to YWAM

In 3 weeks i journey back to Youth with a mission, this time in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, east Malaysia for 6 months. flight from air asia. 5.10pm. 8th jan. i don't expect many to be there, but it would be nice to see some of you guys before i go, some of which i may not see again, at least not for a long time.

It has been an intense couple of years since my ywam adventure in 06. and i have to say this 5 years has seen the most transitions happening in my life, and as far as i can see, in the lives of many of my friends too. some for worse, others for better.

i'm grateful that He has always been strong. always faithful. always there in the nick of time. the fact that i have graduated from Monash University is a testimony to His grace. cuz i still feel that i don't deserve it at all. but then again. i don't deserve Him too, but He's there. and He kept His promise and still remains faithful. and for that reason (among many others) is why my faith to Him can never die.

even though everything may seem like it's changing. situations, circumstances, He remains the same. Love never fails. He never fails.

may this post be an encouragement to those who may feel like giving up hope, or begun to doubt and lose faith, keep persevering, keep trusting, keep walking by faith and not by sight. i pray that even as you read this that your faith may be stirred once again, to experience His love once again.

keep in touch hey. i may not have as much access to internet soon, but when i do it would mean a lot to know that you guys are still there. i do not expect much online time soon but when i do i will try my best to update.

Stay close to Jesus! Draw near to Him. He's much nearer than you think He is. Run to Him. Walk by faith and not by sight. God bless you

Japheth Chew

Friday, December 10, 2010

He still speaks

Even though i keep complaining that it's so hard to hear, that i wish he would shout it out, speak out of a burning bush, appear in a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night and so forth..

He still speaks

Sometimes, at the random'est moments of your life. the moments you least expect Him to.

He's there

and He's speaking

will we listen?

i think i may just have gotten some answers

thank you God :)

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Melbourne adventures

So I'm slowly getting used to getting around the city, am able to take trams and trains (thank God for maps and friends and the metlink metro card, plus the fact that chris's apartment is at swanston's street which is close to melb central :D)

Planetshakers service on sunday morning was awesome. pst russel and matt fielder always help stir up my passion for more of Him. good stuff good stuff.

chinatown shanghai dumpling noodles was good. much cheaper than yesterday's chicken parma, which was good too hehe.

got an aussie number and walked around the city. oh! I finally found the egg salad dip!!! it can't be found in malaysia, you eat it with crackers.. *words cannot describe the awesomeness*. and chris got me to eat ice cream. IN SUPER COLD WEATHER! yes. melb is freezing. in summer.

went to frankston's for jo's surprise b'day party. took train and bus with li wen for the long trip southeast'ish. huge portions of food are good. lots of pictures along the beach pier.

thank God for his protection, we were walking around the beach area when we were slightly assaulted by a bunch of huge random people (drunk perhaps). andrew got hit slightly and his glasses fell off, then they left us. it was quite scary and tense. thank God we're all safe home now. and i caught the last train after running towards the station at clayton somewhere! woot!

2nd day. and it's getting pretty intense :p continued prayers appreciated :)

Monday, November 22, 2010

God-time

So last mon-wed i find myself in Glory Place, Mantin seeking Him, fasting and praying for those 2 days 2 nights, with just water, bible, books, journal and guitar.

As normal in the previous personal retreats i have chucked myself into, it always ends up being refreshing and refilling. this is of course after successfully getting through the second night (which is always the worst in terms of hunger). This time round, i was dreaming of food! ohhh it was bad. char siu fan... anything u name it i probably dreamt about it. so my stomach was aching and i couldn't sleep. so everytime i woke up i just sat up and read the bible, slept, woke up, read the bible, slept again :)

This time round, i managed to finish all of the apostle Paul's letters! (from romans to titus), wrote many letters, journal entries and read parts of a couple of books, composed a chorus which i think i forgot :p, and prayed heaps

Main thing i got this time round was direction regarding the future, with various verses hitting me time and time again as i read the bible during my stay, such as 1 Tim 5:16, 2 Thess 3:8-10, 1 Thess 2:9, Eph 4:28b, Col 1:10 and so forth. So yes, my next season in life after YWAM would be to work!

I also got phil 2:4 regarding living my life for the interests of others, not only for my own. and to love the one that He has given to me :)

Certain other things i was seeking Him for was for direction on which church to call home. silent response so far, so i guess i'll be waiting for now.

there are times and seasons when we need a break, and i've learnt that taking time off to seek the Father is crucial. i've also learnt that there is really no end to ministry, not while He's still got work to be done through us. but in that continuous ministry of ours, to always take time to come back to the Father, in fasting and solitude, receiving from Him so to be able to continuously pour our lives out.

I will be away for the next two weeks, am off to JB tomorrow to help out parents at a kids camp, and to Melbourne from friday night till the 7th dec. After that i'll be home for a month before flying off to Sabah in Jan for the next 6 months. So. if you wanna catch me catch me soon! :)

japh

Saturday, November 13, 2010

He is faithful!

Words alone cannot describe this feeling of thanksgiving that I have towards Him for bringing me through. He is faithful. Always has been, always will be.

I've completed my final paper of my degree, and, *fingers crossed* if I pass everything I would be a Monash University graduate.

This three years in Monash have been absolutely crazy, intense X100 other words. If I were to write everthing that has happened I would fill up many pages so I'll just get to the basic jist of what I've learnt throughout my time in Monash.

1. When God says He'll never leave you nor forsake you, He keeps to that promise. He is faithful. He will bring you through. Only obey and trust Him. Many times I found myself lonely, emotionally unstable or down in the dumps, Yet He is always there to say, 'hey, I'm the one you are looking for'

2. His grace is sufficient. In my weakness He is made strong. This can be seen in last minute assignments, and exam results. Though I still think I don't deserve to graduate, I know he has held me by His hand and given me grace, and I've never failed any papers *not yet at least :p*

3. If you honour God, God will honour you. Serving in CF has been one of the best thing about being in Monash. It's been such an honour to serve others. It is so humbling. It is so rewarding.

4. I am nothing without Him. Running by my own strength only makes me look like a headless chicken :p Many times I think I can do things myself, through my own effort, only to find myself tired, weary and burnt out at the end. Yet in His mercy He lifts me up when I wait upon Him

5. Focus pocus! doing so many things at the same time is NOT a good idea. Focus on what you need to do and do it well. FB and blogging and gaming and all those entertainment stuff is such a distraction, you can do so much more with those time! Do your assignments early *so u can avoid point no#9*

6. Don't live life for yourself. Live life for others. Life is too short. Cheer up. Help others climb rocks. It rocks!

7. Pray pray Pray and did I mention Pray? it helps. really.

8. God surprises you when you least expect it. Even with the love of your life ;) Key is to wait. and to trust :)

9. Never try to pull an all-nighter. Sleep is essential. It helps you in many ways :) Eat well too. Be healthy, or you'll be fat *sighs*

10. Never be too busy for family and friends. Just asking the question 'how are you doing?' has serious affect to show that you care, it can make someones day.

All in all, this journey is one to remember for many years to come, hopefully for a lifetime. There are many downfalls and bad memories too, but I chose to overcome them, and end on a note of victory. Proclaiming His faithfulness and learning from them. I will not let any frustrations or negative feelings from failures hinder my progress from moving forward. He has healed my wounds and now I can learn through the scars. I will not be broken. He has made me stronger.

A new phase of life has begun, and I'm excited :)

Japheth Chew

Sunday, October 24, 2010

So help me Lord~ HeartBeat

Too many obstacles to face
I cannot handle on my own
So I'm asking Lord of You
Grant me patience, strength, and courage too

Help me Lord to go Your way
Help me not to go astray
Cuz this world's a crazy place
But You have made it safe for me

When the time comes for me
To stand up for You
I know You'll be by my side

On my own I'll never make it
But with You
Anything is possible

Friday, October 01, 2010

Away from fb and blogging

till exams finish on the 12th nov :)

42 days :)

let it fade - Jeremy Camp

Have you been walking on a surface that's uncertain?
Have you helped yourself to everything that's empty?
You can't live this way too long.
There's more than this, more than this.
Have you been standing on your own feet too long?
Have you been looking for a place where you belong?
You can rest, you will find rest.
You can rest, you will find rest.

Let this old life crumble, let it fade.
Let this new life offered be your saving grace.
Let this old life crumble, let it fade, let it fade.

Have you been holding on to what this world has offered?
Have you been giving in to all these masquerades?
It will be gone, forever gone.
It will be gone, it will be gone

Let this old life crumble, let it fade.
Let this new life offered be your saving grace.
Let this old life crumble, let it fade, let it fade.

Let it fade.

Are you carrying the weight too much?, are you running from the call?
Let it fade, Oh yeah.

You can rest, you will find rest.
You can rest you will find rest.

Let this old life crumble, let it fade.
Let this new life offered be your saving grace.
Let this old life crumble, let it fade, let it fade.

Let this old life crumble, let it fade.
Have you been standing on your own feet too long?
Have you been looking for a place where you belong?

Thursday, September 30, 2010

As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of a friend
(Book of Proverbs)

i just want to thank everyone who has sharpened my countenance, i hope i was able to do the same too, and please continue doing so, as iron sharpens iron, i'm open to the pain and the sparks, the honesty and the reproof.

ancora imparo! (i am still learning)

Countdown = 43 days :)

Must.... be.... resourceful! make the most of those days... and share Him with just one more..
Jia you!!

Rock Climbing!

Written by my friend, jessica kan!

Wall climbing is like life.
there are bound to be obstacles that you need to face and step on to move up.
The rope (as WOG) is where you hang your life on,
God as your belayer, so that when you fall, He will be the one who catches you.. or keeps you hanging through His Word (the rope).
You always move upwards, no matter how tired your arms could get, until you reach till the top, or give up half way.

Wall climbing is like life.
It’s should not be about the climber, but the Belayer.
You think you (the climber) is like the center of it all, but the most important role to play is actually the Belayer.
Sometimes you think you climbed well, but forgot, that the Belayer actually keeps you to the wall, (and sometimes carries you up.)

ROCK CLIMBING... ROCKS!

I just want you - Planetshakers

More than a nice melody,
More than the sweetest of word's,
This is love i have found,
and with this love i am found.

I just want you Jesus, i just want you my lord,
I just want you Jesus, i just want you.

Never could i comprehend,
The love you so freely give,
Never could i be with you,
But you love covers all of my sin.

I just want you Jesus,
I just want you my lord,
I just want you Jesus i just want you.

There is no greater love than your's,
Nothing else could ever compair,
And even if i search all the world i will never find a love like your's god.

There is no greater love than your's,
Nothing else could ever compair,
And even if i search all the world i will never find a love like your's.

I just want you Jesus,
I just want you my lord,
I just want you Jesus,
I just want you,
Jesus!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Give me Jesus - Jeremy Camp

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise

Give me Jesus.
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

When I am alone,
When I am alone,
When I am alone,
Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus.
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

When I come to die,
When I come to die,
When I come to die,
Give me Jesus.

Monday, September 27, 2010

I am nothing - Jeremy Camp

He seems always in this place,
Where the things I seem to take,
Are the things I wish would fade
I always purpose in my heart,
Well to do things the right way,
Then I realize I'm still clay
And this piece that's being shaped,
Will be a beauty you create

[CHORUS]
I am nothing without Your love
I'm unworthy but Your death has been enough
I'm completed by Your touch,
But I feel like I've been given so much so I thank You,
I thank You

I wouldn't even face,
All the troubles of the day,
If it wasn't for Your grace
Sometimes I even wait,
To see if I'm awake,
Seems so good I can't relate
And Your every word I crave,
And I'm grateful for every breath I take

[CHORUS]

When I'm feeling all my shame,
You won't let it stay,
I sail away into Your love
I'm taking every day,
To give my life away,
It's the only way I know

I am nothing without Your love
I'm unworthy but Your death has been enough
I'm completed by Your touch,
But I feel like I've been given so much I am nothing
You are everything
So I thank you. I thank you
Lord I thank you
I thank you

Sunday, September 26, 2010

The dance~ by Japheth

V1
She was dancing
dancing with You
she was twirling
twirling with You

Chorus
You were leading
You were guiding
You were loving
You were smiling

and You said
Everything's gonna be ok
Everything's gonna be ok

V2
I was wondering
Not expecting anything
But You saw into our being
You meant this to be

V3
Things began to happen
You began to blow my mind
When You took her hands and held it
and place them into mine

Bg
How could I thank You
For giving her to me
I am so grateful
She's as lovely as You've meant her to be

Chorus2
I will lead her
I will guide her
I will love her
I will smile at her

and I'll say
Everything's gonna be ok
Everything's gonna be ok

Surrender - Jeremy Camp

Purify this tainted soul
I'm tired of living life a fool
Soften up this heart in clay
To be a servant this I pray
A reflection of You I long to be
So Your kingdom I will see

I Surrender to Your throne
I Surrender to Your throne
And I will make my heart Your home
Oh I Surrender to Your throne

I've taken things I've thought my own
Only to reap what I sow
You've given back the years I've fought
An Ending love and grace You brought
Eternal hope and peace You bring
And forever unto You I will sing

Forever unto You I will sing

And I surrender now

Soften up this heart in clay
To be a servant this I pray

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Your name - New Life Worship

Verse1:
As morning dawns and evening fades
You inspire song of praise
That rise from earth to touch Your heart and glorify Your Name

Chorus:
Your name is a strong and mighty tower
Your name is a shelter like no other
Your name, let the nations sing it louder
'Cause nothing has the power to save
But Your name

VErse2:
Jesus, in your name we pray
Come and fill our hearts today
And give us strength to live for You and glorify You name

Monday, September 13, 2010

week 9

10.. 11... 12... 13... and then it would be the end of lectures, assignments... with the exception of exam period after that of course.. the finale... hopefully..

and my journey in monash, and in cf, ends.

a new journey begins though :) and i'm excited :)

a new phase of life is in sight, and the best thing is, i may not be 'alone' in this one :D *go figure if you don't already know :p

for now.. it's back to rushing assignments, and making sure this journey ends well ;)

jia you!

Thursday, September 02, 2010

God all this time, I needed you, I needed you

Monday, August 23, 2010

Jeremy Camp - Trust in You

I can't see you
I know your there
I can feel you
I will not fear
I will trust in you and
I will not be afraid

When the battle is close at hand
Though your with me
You help me stand
I will trust in you
And i will not be afraid

i will not be afraid
i will not be afraid

I will trust in you
I will trust in you
I will trust in you

When the darkness is close at hand
And i'm running against the wind
I will trust in you
And i will not be afraid

When i'm standing upon that shore
Of the battle
Have gone before
I will trust in you
And i will not be afraid

Thursday, August 19, 2010

don't waste your life

that's exactly what he said.
I was inspired by a speaker, Kevin Conner who spoke at FGT that day
who has no regrets following Jesus
and pleads with us to not fall away
and is still really touched with the grace God showed him more than 60 years ago
and is going around the world preaching
at 83 years of age

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Older

Ways that you can tell

1. Planetshakers and Hillsongs is too loud :O!
2. sleeping early is awesome :O!
3. why wake up :p
4. back hurts!
5. oh the tummy........
6. sorry what was your name again?

so it's not my fault! hehe

:)

Saturday, August 07, 2010

All around

Everywhere I look Your love is all around

Singing it seems easier than saying it though. Sometimes it's seems as if it is not, and that is a fact of life. Some places feels as though love is inexistent, some people as though love is a foreign language.

Nevertheless, God says His love is always there. It's a choice of whether or not we want to accept His gift, and give it out

Sometimes we feel like not loving anymore. sometimes we feel unloved. sometimes we feel lonely. What i've learnt is that these are moments when God is nudging ever so gently, 'hey, it's me you're looking for'

Run back to Him. It's worth it.

He is all around

Monday, August 02, 2010

Lean on Him

How hard it is to do that.

How reliant we are on friends, internet, communication, entertainment, relationships, mobiles, facebook, games, sports, music and the list is endless.. try fasting these for a week and not many will survive

How reliant are we on the things of God? on reading His word, of soaking in His presence and on communicating with Him? Most can last for days, weeks, months and years without Him, and yet, He is the most important thing in this life that won't pass away..

Countdown

Again it feels dawning that my time in Monash University is almost up. Even though I know very well I've got to push on for another 13 weeks or so till it's all over *hopefully *fingers crossed

In moments like this i find it quite amazing that I still find some 'time' per se to still sit down, ponder and blog. I don't know how to express this feeling, it's the 'i-can't-wait-for-all-of-this-to-be-over' feeling combined with the 'aww-man-i-have-to-do-so-many-things' kind of feeling.

I do know what I miss. My room. it's messyness and the awesome internet connection that i now have in my room (must be my dad's strategy of encouraging me to stay at home haha!). I really treasure moments of quietness and alone'ness and nothing-to-do'ness. it's so rare. it almost feels weird when it happens. as if something is wrong when there's nothing to do.

owl city is nice to listen in times like this. so happy and cheerful.

i sound as if i've got nothing to do now. how i wish that was true :)

well. back to running around and getting things done ;)


Saturday, July 31, 2010

Belum Rainforest Trip

So anyway I was at Pulau Banding, Perak for the past 3 days, stayed at Belum rainforest resort with my classmates on a study trip organised by the school of business, monash, for our assignment on 'marketing planning and implementation' unit. (YES BUSINESS STUDENTS DO STUDY K!)

It was very refreshing, to be honest. I now wish I spent more time with my classmates throughout our 3 years in Monash. Thank God Monash has decided to do something nice like this for us else they were going down my list as overrated and a waste of money :p

I can say that now I am beginning to love and appreciate the environment. Staying at an eco-tourism resort showed me that being environmentally friendly can be done, and saving our environment is crucial. Staying at a resort without televisions and swimming pool was good because all we could do was go jungle trekking, swim at waterfalls and be one with nature (and the leeches too! I still have one leech mark at my neck!)

I think the best part of the trip for me was the visit to an orang asli village at Sungai Tiang. They've created a toy library to teach the orang asli children education through play. Danny brought his baloons and began to make toy animals and swords for the children (thanks danny for teaching me how to make em!). Development is slowly being brought in to the kampung, with huts built, water systems and solar panels. Hygiene is taught, as well as education, health among others. They also teach the mothers how to read and write in order for they to teach their children. This opened my eyes to the fact that reaching out to the orang asli's is achievable, although it may appear as affecting their way of life

All in all I have come to believe that sustainable development is crucial in saving out planet, how to balance between preservation of the environment as well as bring development is crucial. I have also learnt to really appreciate people who are caring, friendly and care for the environment + orang asli's.

Good trip. Thanks Monash University Sunway and the business school for organising this. I can finally say that my term in Monash was a worth it one.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

i will write again soon.......

i've been busy, but i know this should not be an excuse not to write in my bible readings

by next week hopefully things will start slowing down, it's been pretty hectic, non-stop, and it almost feels weird to have a breather, online time, home time..

gosh why does the break between sem 1 and sem 2 have to be soooo short! gah to monash! kill us with stress between sem 1 and 2, and then with boredom at the end of the year! rawr!

to those who wanted to hang out but found me busy i'm really sorry! will make it up to you sometime! *i'll be graduating soon k hopefully hehehe

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

back

to be honest this was probably the longest wait for an exam to finish in my life. maybe it's because there is/was so many things happening and ever since everyone was done i still had a good 5 days at least of waiting for mine to end. the longest 5 days u can ever get trust me hehe.

i always tell myself that i've got ONE more semester and i better make it count. it's quite dawning. there's so much i could do / could have done that i know i should be motivated and active in getting about and doing them but in reality it's very much the opposite, and sometimes i can't help but just want to graduate, move on with life and start off anew somewhere else. life never satisfies it seems. sometimes frustration boil over but u can't do a thing about it, and i feel like running once more.. knowing that i'll/it'll still come back

i know that for now at least i need to get my ... working. there's still work to be done. lots of it :) looking at my schedule, there hardly isn't room for a break really. it's plannings, camp, plannings and so on with hints of outings here and there. work work, that's life.. or is it?

gonna get back to my bible readings and daily postings, woot! i'm pumped, really. not just because i'm done with my papers and have got only one more sem to go, i really am, at this current moment la. see last how long first hehe.

i found (kinda created) a new quote lately while reading a friend's blog post and replying her: it is not so much how much you gain in life, but how much you leave behind that counts :)

cheers :)

Friday, June 04, 2010

Break from blogging for exam

Be back once exams finish on the 29th of June :)

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

1 sam 5 - 14

Today's readings included an account of the philistines capturing the ark and could not keep it because the presence of God was heavy upon them. They sent it back, with very interesting pieces of offerings, golden rats and tumors? It is interesting to note that the true presence of God cannot be 'captured', it is for a people who belongs to Him and who seeks after Him.

The next account that took place was Samuel judging Israel and when he was growing old his sons did not walk rightly, and the people wanted a king. What caught me was Samuel's ineffectiveness in raising his children. Yes he was a super awesome righteous judge and all that jazz but his sons, took bribes and perverted justice, among other things. It reminded me of the previous priest, Eli, and how he too, failed to raise his songs rightly. I could say that Eli's sons were a lil worse, sleeping with the women outside the tabernacle and not performing their ceremonial duties rightly but the message is the same, How can these awesome men of God fail in terms of raising up their children? And Samuel, who grew up with Eli and turned out good, why didn't he learn from Eli's mistakes? Too many pastor's kids end up rebellious and we know that too well. Is this what ministry is about? I'm not saying ALL pastors kids end up bad, some do follow right paths. But it's sad seeing the opposite happen for some. Maybe their parents have missed the point of serving?

Israel wanting a king could be acceptable to many of us. I mean, who would NOT want a visible leader over us? I mean yes God was their king, but it was mention in those days 'revelation' and 'visitations' from God were scarce, so the people rightly wanted a king, and God gave them one. 'Though I think He was pretty annoyed, like, hey I'm supposed to be your King', and He clearly outlined to the israelites the implications of having a king over them. I guess I could say that prior to this Israel was under a theocratic rule, now it was to change for centuries to come. King Saul was an interesting character, the most handsome, tallest, well built dude and yet could say a lil weak on the inside (hiding behind the equipment when he was announced king). he was like looking for lost donkeys before he was anointed king. yeah. but he stepped up to the plate and won some impressive victories, though i still like his son jonathan better :) the account of him and his armorbearer creating havoc at the philistine camp was classic :) *smacks those who were hiding in holes and caves*

Monday, May 31, 2010

Judges 20 - 1 Samuel 4

These readings were very wide and covered many things
The end of Judges really was quite gory again. The children of Benjamin were punished for what happened to the levite's concubine. A mass internal war, civil war to be exact took place between the tribes of Israel together against the Benjamites; in which the Israelites won at the end, after an impressive battle though from the Benjamites; 25,000'ish against like 400,000 and was totally able to win 2 out of the 3 battles. God does not totally wipe out the Benjamites, sparing them from utter destruction. and their fellow brethren also were sympathetic to them at the end by providing wives for the remnants. The method for choosing your wife though for pretty weird. Step 1: hide behind a bush. Step 2: wait for the girl dances to come out to dance in the festival. Step 3: kidnap the girl of your choice and take her as your wife. Imagine if this custom remained today hehe

The story of Ruth was very good as always. Reading it from the perspective of viewing God as OUR kinsmen redeemer was refreshing. He does not leave His children inheritance'less and does not despise the poor, the afflicted, the despised.. And the devotion of Ruth to her mother-in-law Naomi was impressive. Thought me the importance of devotion to family and to God.

The beginnings of 1st Samuel start of with the pleadings and sorrow of a woman named Hannah, who interceded and pleaded God for a child, of which she would devote the child to God for His service. Here we learn some principles of intercession and intense prayer, and that it is ok to pray in your heart, God still hears :) Samuel is birth and here is the beginning of hope for Israel. this young lad could hear the voice of God, who was rare at those days - there was no widespread revelation and the voice of the Lord was scarce (kind of reminds me of modern days). Samuel's presence would be seen more significantly in the readings to come, for now: Israel's ark is captured; the glory has departed from them and Israel is currently leader'less

Judges 10-19

Today ended with a super disturbing reading
I mean the accounts on jephthah were super cool. and samson rocks as always. and I found account of Micah's idolatry quite funny, though i didn't learn anything from that. BUT the account of the levite's concubine was just disturbing. to be honest i was quite disgusted. why does the bible have to show such graphic accounts. sigh

i'm really 'wow-ed' by the bible's realistic, down to earth, normal and sometimes messed up 'human' people who did great things for God. jephthah was this random 'despised' dude who was banished from his homeland, banded together with some raiders and plundered; yet he was used by God to deliver Israel. Samson was far from ideal, marrying an enemy of his people, killing mass amounts of people, sleeping with harlots and easily enticed; yet was still used by God to judge His enemies. It was noted that 'it was God's plan for him to marry his enemy', to fulfill His plan, hmm...

God works in ways we can never perceive. You'll never know who He's gonna use. Most often that not He chooses to surprise us. I guess the key is just to be open, and ready; if we can ever can be :)

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Joshua 24 - Judges 9

More biblical military strategies

Strategy no.4:-
You gotta be left-handed. Create for yourself a mini-dagger and hide it under your clothes. Present a tribute to the king of your choice. Tell him you've got a 'secret message' and get everyone to leave the room. Thrust your dagger (and the rest of the details you can read yourself, the bible's quite graphic, VERY GRAPHIC!). Once you've got their leader, bring in the rest of your men into the war and win :)

Strategy no.5:-
Bring in a girl with you :) (seriously, check out the war Barak fought ;)
Also let another girl offer accommodation to the enemy's leader, offer him milk and blanket. When he is asleep, bring in a tent peg and hammer.... (sorry! i was grossed out as well!)

Strategy no.6:-
First find out if God's really on your side by offering him some food and see if He'll set it on fire. If that's not enough get a fleece and ask God to make the fleece wet while the ground is dry in the morning. If that is STILL not enough ask God to reverse the order, make the fleece dry while the ground is wet in the morning. Once you've made sure He's on your side start by getting your troops. Make sure ALL the wimps are NOT on your team. (note about 22,000 men will leave you, leaving you with only 10,000 real men). After that send your 10,000 men to drink water. Those who drink (laps) like a dog separate them from those who drink (laps) from their hands. (note that this will leave you with 300 real and alert men).

Now. With your 300 real and alert men (this sounds like the movie 300! lol), arm them with pitches and torches on one hand, and a horn on the other. Break into 3 divisions and sneak up on your enemy surrounding them at night. At your signal, command your army to break their pitches and blow their horns! This should cause utter confusion in the enemy's camp and they'll end up killing each other. Finish up the remnants :)

The key to winning with this strategies still remain the same: follow His directives. Not by might, not by power, but by His spirit. And also to note, finish up your spiritual enemies, cause if you don't they'll continually be a pain. Sometimes God 'allows' these enemies to still hang around, to test us. to keep us humble and dependent on Him. Interesting eh?

Joshua 14-23

The most interesting part for this reading to me was the gung-ho'ness of Caleb. Here is a man about 80 years of age, saying to Joshua, 'Give me my inheritance! I am strong now as I was then (40 years ago), I can still travel and fight as well as I could then!' - in his words - 'just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war!' full-on yo! It's a reminder to me to keep on persevering, keep on pushing on, as long as His promises lies ahead of me I shall carry through! Never give up! Never turn back! Never lose hope!

I don't know about you but sometimes I get the feeling like you can't wait for things to end, in terms of going through a semester, facing an assignment, an exam, a task ahead, a ministry, a job, etc. Sometimes the feeling is like, 'Oh gosh I can't wait for it all to end! for me to graduate! for me to step down! for this !@# assignment/exam to finish etc.' Caleb was not like that, he could have easily went, 'I am old, let my children inherit my portion of land, let me have my peace and enjoy the remaining of my life' Noooo.. he's taking it himself! he's going to fulfill God's call for his life! he's going to fight for his inheritance promised to him. and he's not going to let age turn him down.

I need that kind of spirit. I need to persevere. I need to struggle with Him and win. Come on Japh!!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Joshua 4-13

Biblical Military Strategies and Conquests! woohoo!

Strategy no.1:-
Get some priests to carry an ark; command your army to march before them around your city of choice in silence once a day for seven days. The only sound you can make is the sound from rams horns, to be blown by seven priests. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, blow the trumpets and SHOUT like anything, the walls will pretty much crumble down and you can then take your city ;)

Strategy no.2:-
You may THINK you can take a small city with 3,000 men but that's not gonna work if you've got some hanky panky going around in your camp. Firstly you gotta 'cleanse' your camp from any internal sin. Now, take 30,000 warriors with you (to conquer a city of with total population of about 12,000); plant about 5,000 of them in ambush behind the city. In the morning, take your troups, run at the city and fake a retreat. When they come out against you with all their men, command your 'ambush team' to run into the city and set in on fire, then turn around and fight them, they should be caught in the middle as your 'ambush team' can come out of the city and trap them. finish them off ;)

Strategy no.3:-
Command the sun and moon to stand still :) this would give your troups plenty of time to finish your enemy off :)

The key to winning with these strategies: Trust in God and follow His directives :)

Friday, May 28, 2010

Deuteronomy 28 - Joshua 3

The Torah (the first 5 books of the bible), also known as the law books has just finished. We're now entering into the history books (yeah!) And there were quite some amazing discoveries going through the journey of the torah. Here is where is learn how God loves His people, stands for them, fights their battles, tells them of His laws and corrects them for disobedience. Here is a journey of a people who journeyed out of bondage and slavery into the wilderness and finally into the promise land.

What caught my attention was that throughout their journey in the wilderness their clothes never worn out and their sandals never broke. How cool is that?! No need to go shopping to buy new clothes and shoes! They were also fed miraculously with manna and the occasional quail and water from rocks and their journeys were guided by pillars of cloud and fire. God fights for them in wars and even through all their complainings and disobedience God forgives them in His grace and spares them from utter destruction thanks to Moses' intercession and prayers (He still punishes them of course). God shows His realness and majesty and glory throughout Israel's journey.

Also to note was the blessings and cursings outlined clearly in Deut 28 (which we should take head). "Chose this day life or death, blessings or cursing". is quite the theme of deuteronomy. It's a choice, whether to obey Him or not, life is all about choices. the question for ourselves, are we making the right choices? :)

Moses has now passed on; appointing Joshua as the new leader. His call? To be strong and courages! Bring on the history books!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Deuteronomy 18-27

There are so many laws in this reading that some of them had to be categorized as 'Miscellaneous' laws, in my bible at least ;) seriously! in other words, RANDOM laws! hehe. For example: don't wear clothes that mixes both wool and linen (uhh?). Or 'don't plow with an ox and a donkey together (ok..)

But there were some great laws too, like 'don't break your vows' and my personal favorite law of this chapter, 'when a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war or to be charged with any business, he shall be free at home one year, and bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken',and all the men say, woohoo!

Now here's my point. With SOO many laws in the old testament to adhere to, it was impossible to follow all of them. The law is NOT bad, but it is also extremely hard to keep to and is legalistic. Back then, the punishment for breaking laws were mostly death. No wonder Christ had to come and fulfill the law; he didn't come to abolish it but to fulfill it and give us grace and a new way of approaching the law. It is now the 'issue of the heart' more than external doings. It is because of Him that we can be 'free' of many of these legalistic laws and enter into His new covenant; no more of 'breaking laws = sacrificing animals as an IOU for what i've done' but of confessing our sins and asking His forgiveness', because He has paid the price for our sins.

Thank God for what He has done. I can't imagine having to live in those days; may have to view many rebellious sons being stoned in public or wives who tried to defend their husbands in a fight having their hands chopped off. I'm not saying sin can be taken lightly in modern days; the punishment will still be there; in the afterlife, if we don't confess n repent. So live right lives yo!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Deuteronomy 8- 17

"Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply... And you shall remember that the Lord your God let you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord..."

Feels like I'm quite in a wilderness myself. Now at least I know the purpose of it. to humble me, to test me, to know what was in my heart, whether i would keep His commandments or not..
i hope i survive this wilderness, for it is lonely, and painful..

It's good to know He is still sustaining me. He feeds me with that 'manna'; strength enough to get me through the day. Thank You, Lord.

Numbers 34 - Deuteronomy 7

Today I learnt mostly of the need to be humble and to listen to His voice and to yield in total submission to His will.

Not really related to today's readings, which was mostly similar to the previous readings and a recap of laws and other geographical locations etc etc. I was more drawn to understand more about the character of Moses; the unlikely leader who God chose to lead His people out of Egypt and into the promise land. Unlikely because he was unconfident, slow of speech, and exiled out of his own country.

I for one, would hate to take on Moses's job. Here is a man who not only had to deal with all the complaining people who many times refused His leadership but also did not make it to the promise land. For whatever reason God decided not to even 'talk about it'; whether it was because Moses had ONE occasion of outburst when he beat the rock instead of speaking to it so that water came out; the fact of the matter is that God only allowed Moses to 'see' the promise land from the top of the mountain, he was not allowed to cross over the Jordan.

wow. talk about remaining faithful to God and of complete dedication and perseverance. Even when God makes it clear that Moses will not inherit the promise land, his descendants would. If I were Moses, honestly, I would flip. Right there. "GOD! I have served You against my own will for all these years, bringing these people out of bondage, bearing with them through the wilderness, showing them Your signs and wonders and miracles and laws and commands, and now, I'm not even allowed to enter the promise land?! what's the deal with that? Oh sure I was angry with the people that ONE time when I hit the rock but COME ON!" and I would probably throw in the towel, right there.

But Moses, the great leader, the most humble man in all the earth (as mentioned by God himself) decides to still obey God, to follow His commands and His will. Fully knowing he won't be receiving his earthy inheritance, the reward, the goal the Israelites were looking forward all these while. Perhaps his complete trust in God and his dedication to his people kept him going. wow.

I'm a person who gets frustrated. I'm a person who needs to see results. I can't imagine serving Him for 'nothing' (if you know what i mean) but maybe, just maybe God is teaching me something though all this. I need to persevere, I need to be humble. I need to yield myself to Him in total submission. I need to obey him without any questioning. If it wasn't for His grace I wouldn't be alive in the first place. I need to be continually reminded about that.

I've got one more semester in this desert, this fire, this storm, this wilderness. When I'm weary, and tired, without the strength to move on. You are here. You know what's best. I trust in You, God :)

Japheth Chew

Monday, May 24, 2010

Numbers 14-23; Numbers 24-33

A couple of things that stuck me this time round. These readings were hard, as usual. I think a much more effective way of reading is to have a map of ancient israel compared to modern times next to me, a history book of israel text to me, and a lot of patience ;)

God is serious in His judgements. When the people of Israel complain, He is not slow in announcing His judgement; and would do so if Moses did not intercede time and time again. An interesting moment that caught my attention (and was also mentioned by Dr Chew (SIB) at Global Day of Prayer; which was last night at Stadium Melawati - it was awesome!) was the account when God's wrath was spreading in a plague throughout the camp. Moses quickly tells Aaron the priest to RUN to the people carrying a censer (a vessel made for burning insense) and he stood in between the living and the dead; causing the plague to stop - after 14 thousand people perished. Dr Chew mentioned that the censer was the prayers of the saints. How cool is that? Our PRAYERS act as insense to the Lord to halt the plagues of the evil one and counters the cup of wrath that is filling up with curruption and evil; the censer is filling with the prayers of the saints; causing grace instead of wrath to flow over this land.

The next interesting account in this reading was balak trying to get balaam to curse Israel. and a talking donkey! the most ironic thing was balaam answering the donkey back, i mean, if I were him, I would have totally flipped the moment the donkey talked; wouldn't have thought of replying back! So anyway, this account shows me that God STANDS FOR HIS PEOPLE. There were SOOO many accounts of God's wrath being poured forth on His people and of His people being killed. BUT this time, God really shows up for His people, just as how He did with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and in Egypt. He blesses them, through balaam, four times; to the annoyance of balak of course. It brings back a reminder even with all the chastening of God, it is for our own good, and He will always have our back covered, He is Love. Even in modern times, God stands for His people time and time again as can be seen with modern Israel, how God have stood for them in the 'six day war' and other wars, Jews are known for their superiour technology and intelligence and are place in positions of power and influence.

I'm reminded time and time again from these readings of the importance of obeying God's laws, the rewards of obeying them, and the consequences of failing to. I'm also reminded of the precious perfect sacrifice Jesus did at the cross. To cleanse us from our sins and wash us from our past. Jesus made it possible for us to be cleansed and forgiven without having to slaughter lambs and other offerings which was mainly an I.O.U to God until Jesus came to fulfil the debt of sin we owed. We were and are sinners, and are desperately in need of a saviour who died in our place so that we can be free and redeemed and forgiven, a debt that only Jesus Christ, who took the sins of the world upon Himself, could pay.

Let us not forget Jesus in all these readings on the law; but picture how He has come to fulfil it. And I am also reminded to pray for Israel, for Jerusalem, for the Jews, His precious people and nation. May they come to see that their Messaiah has come, He is risen, He is coming back again for His bride. Are we ready?

Friday, May 21, 2010

Numbers 4-13

Interesting how God delegates His tasks to various groups of peoples. "you shall be in charge of this, and you shall be charge of that", teaches us as leaders that we really can't do EVERYTHING, we need people around us to help us.

Again, God is massively PARTICULAR with details. literally, down to the inches. Heh don't think you can fool God, He definately knows all yo! You might say He is quite the perfectionist ;) I just can't imagine having to live with all those details. hehe.

And... the people complain again. complainers complainers. God has to smite some of em with fire and STILL they complain later on. how similar are we ;) and Moses intercedes for them yet again. Good leader to have :) one who pleads to God not to kill His people though they deserved it..

Let's be thankful for His blessings and obey His commands without complaining shall we? :)

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Leviticus 21- Numbers 3

One of the main things that struck me today was the importance of the Sabbath, and of following and obeying His commands.

Most of us are at a stage of our lives when we just cannot afford a 'sabbath' - literally, a rest day from work. I know that it's technically 'ok' to work on a sabbath through what Jesus did in the new testament, healing on a sabbath, which was technically his 'work'; but the principle of resting on a sabbath is profound. God created, and He rested. He didn't have to, He could have kept on and kept on creating, but He rested on the 7th day of creation. wow. the Almighty took a rest and we think we can go on and on our lives in an adrenelin rush without slowing down.. no wonder most of us 'crash' every now and then...

God gives us life in which I believe we should be fruitful, productive, hardworking and diligent in the things He has called us to do; whether you're studying or working or in ministry; but I strongly believe that at least ONE of those days should be spent with Him. and THAT is your sabbath. Taking a rest from the busyness and chaos of life; reflecting and pondering upon Him, giving your mind, body, soul and spirit time to recuperate. feed your soul, quieten your mind, exercise your body and rejuvenate your spirit.

One may say, 'But I can't afford to NOT study on Sundays! I need to spread out my time throughout the week'; well, you're technically not sinning that's for sure, but I sure do hope your spirit and soul is fed enough. and you're not burnt out.

I spend my Sundays by myself mostly. After church I'll rest at home, read a book, and spend time with my family. It is one of the best days of the week :) and I can testify that it's one of those things that keep me going through my crazy weeks. There are many benifits from obeying His commands, even more consequences for dissobeying them. Let's strive to obey Him eh?

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Leviticus 11-20

Another hard reading to do. More laws...

God is a holy God. There's no doubt about that. And He demands holiness from us. "be holy, for I am holy", says He. And there's consequences for living unholy lives.. major consequences. Back then most of the punishments was physical death. That principle still remains similar in modern times, spiritual death; separation from God.

One thing that hit me though. Do you know how 'ma-fan' it is for a person back then to 'pay' for his/her sin in order to be cleansed and restored? It's like a combination of various slaughtering activities, restitutions, this and that; JUST to be 'forgiven', in that sense. Again, the principle remains the same for modern day believers; although we don't need to find random animals to sacrifice; there is much to be done on our side - confession, repentance, a conscious turning away from sin, seek forgiveness from those we have hurt etc. Not very easy eh? NOW would you rather sacrifice some lambs and pigeons? hehe

Stay holy, guys. and remain pure. It's worth it :)

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

leviticus 1-10

Today was probably one of the hardest readings for me. The entire chapter talks about offerings, sin offering, trespass offerings etc.. and it goes on and on about how to BBQ properly (sorry but it did make me hungry :p) but here's what I learnt anyway

Every single blessing God gives us should be appreciated and offered back to Him the BEST of the BEST. Back then, God's blessing to His people were in terms of lifestock, grain, fruits etc and the people offered the lifestock without blemish, firstfruits of their land and best of their grain. For us as modern day believers, God's blessings may be money, time, gifts and talents. Are WE giving back to God the best of what He has blessed us with? Are you faithfully serving Him with your gifts and talents in your ministry and persevering doing so even when times seem hard? Are you a good steward of your money and time? Like i mentioned before in the email, tithing to God even 10% of your day is 2.4 hours; are you giving your best to Him?

For me, the best times are mornings (peaceful, quiet) and I usually can get a lot of things done in the wee hours of the morning. The challenge for me is to give that 10% fully to God during those times; like reading His word and coming before Him in prayer. Hope you are inspired to do the same. God deserves the BEST of the BEST.

*p.s - thank God for His grace too. Back then, if you sacrificed wrongly, you're dead (leviticus 10:1)

Monday, May 17, 2010

Bible Reading

Exodus 31-40
What I've learnt

Interesting how Moses pleaded / interceded for his people when God wanted to 'consume' them in His wrath for worshipping some random golden calf that Aaron made (and lied about it later too, saying 'IT came out of the fire' when he actually molded it. some priest he was haha). Again it made me think. These people SEE God's glory on a daily basis (a cloud by day and fire by night! / moses's shining face / God's glory which passes by the camp so often) and YET they want to party with some molded image. gosh.

It is not surprising then that God wanted to wipe them out and make Moses a great nation. You might say it was God's WILL to send his fire and wipe them out of the face of the earth. BUT WAIT. Moses then pleads with God, intercedes for his people saying, 'if you kill these people, what will the people of the earth think? You brought these people out of bondage just to kill them in the wilderness, you can't do that yo! *majorly paraphrased :p*. and this is interesting, GOD CHANGES HIS MIND and lets them live (punishes them of course through plagues and stuff).

Food for thought. Can God change His will for you? ;) Can God change His will for MALAYSIA if His people intercede for our land?
Can God spare Malaysia from disaster due to its corruption and turning away from Him? Who will go for Malaysia, Who will intercede?

Reading the Bible!

and so I've begun a bible reading marathon with a bunch of MYPG'ers (Malaysian Youth Prayer Gathering) people. 10 Chapters a day :)

From yesterday's reading; what I've learnt
Exodus 21-30

We're at a part where the LAW comes in (ceremonial lamb, clothes, tabernacle and whatever not). I learnt that GOD IS A SUPER PARTICULAR GOD. esspecially when it comes to His temple (which is US btw). He wants things in order, He has a blueprint for each of our lives and how we build this temple of His. He is QUITE AN ENGINEER AND ARCHITECH. he knows every detail, every inch, every breakdown, of our life and our work.

yup yup. so take heart when you're reading through geonologies, temple measurements, laws for animals, and whatever not.
God is a God of DETAILS. simply because He cares, is excellent in His work, and perfect. and demands perfection :) Let's live a life worthy of Him and take more effort in getting to know HIm more!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

sometimes....

sometimes i ask myself, what if after all this i find myself empty and void?
after all the serving, all the labour, all the sweat blood and tears
after all the victories and failures, after all the gung ho'ness and passion, sadness and depression
after going through ups and downs, joy and pain
it finishes

and i'm off.. sabah perhaps for a year.. doing soul searching and serving at missions
and back... to uncertainties.... this time.. real uncertainties... relationships? work? ministry?

God, I know I should trust You. I tell my friends to, I need to show it myself..
It's scary Lord, and I'm afraid...
that all of this was in vain
that i'll never be able to stand up to a relationship again
that i'll never be totally fulfilled and satisfied with any job or ministry that comes my way
that i've failed you. time and time again
and that i'll run away... from You

why so downcast? oh my soul
put your hope in God
for I will yet praise Him
my saviour and my God

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Hey, wanna go for a walk?

My take on how I would deal with burnout:

Find that spot (may be at a park, home, library, starbucks etc) where you can run to to find rest and clear your mind

For me: I take regular retreats @ glory place, mantin to spend time seeking Him and quiet my soul ;) On times that I can't afford a retreat: a nice cup of coffee @ starbucks listening to my music or swedish meatballs at ikea or reading at borders has to do ;)

Find that sport (or something you love; rock climbing, basketball, football, bowling, chess? or a random hobby- fishing? anything that can take your mind away from the stresses)

For me: Rock climbing has been my recent craze; satisfiying and enjoyable (climbing and teaching people how to); jogging has been good too

Find that alone time (may be taking a break from friends, internet, phone) just to listen to some silence from the million voices the world throws at us

For me: Taking a break from friends, and facebook, and university, and staying at home has been good. Writing and journalling has been therapeutic too. Just slow down, think, read and write if it helps

Discipline yourself spiritually. God is there longing to fill you. We just miss these 'filling' sessions thinking we can run through life through our own strength and effort. We run so fast that sometimes we miss His still small voice saying, "hey, wanna go for a walk?"

Monday, April 12, 2010

Life is bigger than your exam, life is bigger than what happened yesterday night at the party, or what movie you watched, the latest political news or sporting event. Life is about Him, shining His glory and living a life worthy to be called a child of God.

Always enough - Casting Crowns

In the drying weary land
LORD You are the rain
In the sea of shattered ones
Your love comes rushing in
You hold the world within Your hands
And see each tear that falls
Through every fire and every storm
You're Always Enough
Always Enough

Your love is peace to the broken
Faith for the widow
Hope for the orphan
Strength for the weak

Your love is the anthem of nations
Brings out to the ages
And You're Always Enough for me

In the watches of the night
LORD You are my song
Hope is in the morning light
Your love shines like the dawn

You keep my heart in perfect peace
My life is in Your hands
When confusion hides my way
You're Always Enough
Always Enough

And rejoice for my Saviour reigns
And rejoice for the lives in me
God on how set me free and
Worthy is the LORD

In the drying weary land
LORD You are the rain

Sunday, March 21, 2010

thoughts at 2am

I need to register to vote

anyone wanna go together? :)

Saturday, March 13, 2010

planetshakers - Holding ON

Here it goes,
I'm letting go
Of all that's weighing me down
I believe, in everything,
You are all that I need

I'm reaching out, for more of You
Come and fill me again
More of You, and less of me
That is how it shoud be

So I look to You
And not to this world
I am found in You
And You are found in me

You're the centre of my everything
You're the rock on which I stand
My foundation is in Jesus
I'm holding on to You forever

I'm holding onto You forever
Cause no one else could be the centre
You are the only one for me now
Lord it's You

Sunday, January 17, 2010

This crazy road ahead

Dear God,

There's no way I will be able to this by myself. I humble myself before you. I am weak. Frail. Uncertain. Unstable. Unconfident. Only through You, will those Un's be removed. Help me trust in You fully; knowing that whatever happens this year is Yours. Not mine.

Grant me boldness and wisdom. Grant me clarity in speech and a clear mind; a listening ear and an open heart. Help me never to lose focus of You; to be able to focus on things that really matter.

May my life glorify You this year; through my words and actions; that others may see You through me.


I commit Monash Christian Fellowship 2010, the year ahead, and my life; into Your hands. It's Yours God, take control. Use your tools. Use me.

I believe in You.

Saturday, January 09, 2010

We will not falter, we will not give up~ endurance through persecution

f God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8: 31b, 35, 37-39)

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord rescues them from them all. (Psalm 34:17-19)

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46:1-3)

You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress; my God in whom I trust." You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday. Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. (Psalm 91:1-2,5-6,9-12)

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity." (Jeremiah 29:11-14a)

But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:7-10)

Through You I can do anything
I can do all things
'Cause it's You who gives me strength
Nothing is impossible
Through You blind eyes are open
Strongholds are broken
I am living by faith
Nothing is impossible
I'm not gonna live by what I see
I'm not gonna live by what I feel
Deep down I know that You're here with me
And I know that You can do anything
I believe, I believe
I believe, I believe in you

Friday, January 08, 2010

Holding on~ by planetshakers

Here it goes, I'm letting go
Of all that's weighing me down
I believe, in everything,
You are all that I need

Verse 2
I'm reaching out, for more of You
Come and fill me again
More of You, and less of me
That is how it shoud be

Bridge
So I look to You
And not to this world
I am found in You
And You are found in me

Chorus
You're the centre of my everything
You're the rock on which I stand
My foundation is in Jesus
I'm holding on to You forever

Pre-chorus
I'm holding onto You forever
Cause no one else could be the centre
You are the only one for me now
Lord it's You