Beautiful God (a God of Mercy)

[When we see a a something or someone who captures our attention - be it due to a visual appearance or a charisma that exudes from within, we often would stop in our tracks and say, 'beautiful', 'excellent', 'awesome', or ...just be wowed, loss for words!

When GOD catches our attention, it can very often blow us away or "break us into pieces" or we'll just stay unscrappable from the floor / wall / ceiling, if not for His mercy - an infinite God revealing Himself to finite man. Ooosh!! More than loss for words!!! Yet I long to go deeper into the cloud of glory... and just like the encounter Moses had at the burning bush, he drew near to hear, he drew near to see. Is that really You Lord? Calling my name?

Recently I got very upset... very very upset... with myself... after a teaching on the tender mercies of God... I was just so upset that I do not know and cannot grasp the tender mercies of God. Cognitively I know it as I hear about it, read about it... but I know I don't know it... and I was soooo upset... because I do not know the God that (I say) I love.. you know what I mean? Imagine you have a close friend and you don't even know his/her innermost heart and thoughts, and for so long. So I'm very upset and just kept crying and crying... crying because I don't know, crying because I feel sorry, crying because I want to know Him more...

Someone said that's the paradox of the gospel - the more you know God, the more you don't know Him... Now that is encouraging... Just like what Paul says in 1Tim 1:15.... erm, uncle Paul, may I quote you... erm... it's in the bible... so it's not a personal thingy on you... erm.. erm... Paul says in v15, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." There must be a reason why Paul would openly and gladly boast about being chief of erm... sinners O_o v16 brought some light - "However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life."

Now I know why I like uncle Paul. And I even like God more... He chooses the worst of worst to show his patience and kindness to those who will believe Him - this is really something! Woot! My confidence level to run to God when I fall just got re-charged! And yes, may I say like Paul, let Your goodness shine through a vessel like me, that man may see You and You alone! Yes God, me, me, You can use me! Just so that I may encounter Your tender mercies... please...

So I dried my tears, and continue to muse on the God of mercy... mmm....mmm... mmm....]

BEAUTIFUL GOD [29 September 2011]

There is One who sits on the Throne

His tender mercies are over all

There is One, He is in control

All the heavens and earth worship Him

Pre-chorus:

And by His mercy, we draw near

And by His mercy, we come close

Chorus:

Beautiful God

Reigning on high

We worship You, in spirit and truth

Beautiful God

You've captured our hearts

We are Yours and Yours, alone

(Take us as Your inheritance...)

Bridge

There is none as worthy

None as beautiful

There is none as holy

None as excellent

(There is none like You...)

Send Us Your Rain

[I'm deeply blessed and thankful that I was grounded in the Lord since my days of youth, in the TOUCH NUS ministry. I was not only grounded in my values as a believer, but I also received much exposure in ministry - learning to live by faith, believing God for the impossibilities and seeing lives transformed by the power of God. Surely a life lived by faith is one that is not only unforgettable, but also one that made me who I am today as I continue to seek to grow in the Lord...

We have been praying lots for the youths in the House lately... for truly God is raising up the generation who will see His second coming! Even now, God is raising them as forerunners, a voice crying out in the dessert, prepare the way for the Lord! One of the unique functions of the forerunners ministry seen in Isa. 40:1-5, is the prepare the WAY of the Lord (v3)- to prepare the minds and hearts of the people:

Preparation of MINDS in understanding:

1) End-Times

- Mat. 24:6 speaks of false christs, wars, rumours of wars arising..."See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass...". God is bringing understanding and clarity of the times, and more importantly, how we should prepare ourselves for the coming Day of the LORD as described in Joel 2:11.

2) The activity of the Holy Spirit in the last days:

- restoration of the 1st commandment to the 1st place (Mat. 22:37-39)

- the release of unprecedented power to bring in the great harvest (Joel 2:28-32)

- partnership with God in releasing the temporal judgment of God (Isa. 63:1-6)

3) New idea about God (Psa. 2:11-12):

- Revelation of Jesus as their passionate Bridegroom, Sovereign King and Righteous Judge.

Preparation of HEARTS:

1) Wholeheartedness to God

2) Holiness and Fear of God

3) Fasted lifestyle

Whenever I close my eyes and sing to God to send His rain, I could almost see multitudes of youths crying out to the Lord. And... I could feel the purity and simplicity of the hearts of the youths, just like how we used to cry out to God with the simplicity of our hearts, in childlike faith, in the TOUCH NUS days! God, send Your rain! We need your power, grace and touch, like never before! ]

SEND US YOUR RAIN [27 September 2011]

Verse one:

We need Your power

Break into our lives

We need Your grace

Strengthen us within

We need Your touch

Like never before

We cry out, as we go forth

Chorus:

Send us Your rain

Renewing our mind

Send us Your rain

Transforming our heart

Send us Your rain

Into this place

Into our hearts, as we wait for You

Verse two:

Release Your power

Break into our lives

Release Your grace

Strengthen us within

Release Your touch

Like never before

We cry out, as we go forth

Come send Your rain...

Intimacy with God - a zap?

Some think to grow into intimacy with God, it's a God-zap-me-I'll-be-intimate with God kind of thingy. So they go about their own life as usual and say - when that zap comes, all will be ok. I'm struggling... but when the anointing comes, I'll be fine! Sounds familiar? =)

Zaps are good but we often have 'leaks' and those moments of empowerment do not sustain very long. We 'leak' simply because we do not know how to sustain or have the walk with God that keeps the fire burning in us. Some go from zap to zap, attending meetings and conferences to 'feel good', to 'top up'.

Yet as the saints aka overcomers would share with you, it more often than not takes a deliberate and conscious setting of hearts and the lifestyle of choosing God (through all that struggling, trials of life and those untimely distractions). You know what I mean if you read the accounts of the overcomers in Hebrews 11. Read also about Daniel, who set his heart to know God - how his faith in God triumphed in his time under the reign of an evil king. Even the king acknowledged Daniel's God!

I learnt from a teaching on the keys to sustaining intimacy with God:

1) Hunger - only those who long for it gets it!

2) Keep the fire burning - consistent and regular time with the Lord

3) Fan the flame - seek to grow in the level of intimacy with God

4) Do the work of the ministry - exercise the gifts of the spirit and move out in faith

So you see, we can't get intimate with God by attending teachings, meetings, conferences only. They are not the end all of all. They are good as it could jump start us or awaken us to God and God-things, but it does not end there if we want to grow in the Lord... May we not only know the keys to intimacy with God, may we not only talk about them... may we walk the talk...

Making God Happy

I admit that when I first heard this phrase - making God happy - I went like... erm... that sounds kinda foreign and er... 'foolish'. You know what I mean, new phrases and terms just come up around us here and there. They are here now and gone the next day as newer phrases and cooler terms are being invented... or they are being used casually without much meaning...

I mean, if we talk about revering God, or be serious with God, obey God, love God, praise God etc etc, I (think I) can understand. But what do you mean by 'making God happy'? I can't even quite comprehend it, let alone do it. So conveniently, out of my window it went! I threw this phrase out of my mind, subconsciously, not because I want to, but simply because it's not in my dictionary! Vocab deluge! And yes, I must say it sounds kinda... 'foolish'... definitely not my cup of tea! or so I think...

Years on... I find myself not only understanding this phrase (a little) better, but also realising that there's nothing else I really want to do except... to make God happy. Dead meat. I can't even recognise myself now... so what has caused the change? I pondered...

I can only say that God does wonders with our weak but sincere heart that keeps saying 'yes' to Him. Little by little, how He reveals His heart and led me to encounter His truths as I respond to His word. What is God looking for? I want to be. What does God like? I want to become. What is God saying? I lean over to hear. What is God doing now? I sign-up and get myself involved in it. Not self-manufactured (I know how to do that, and, I somehow can detect it, within myself, if it's of the flesh :p and repent!); but a change that only He can bring...

It often starts with a divine dissatisfaction (poor in the spirit..Mat.5), leading one to a painful realisation (hunger, thirst, mourn..) as one presses in for the things of God. Painful as one dies to self, shakes off every weight and sin that ensnares, and this is the hard part - keep walking, keep trusting, keep pressing in, keep gazing at Jesus, keep going... till God breaks in.

Now, I don't really care whether I appear foolish or am doing something foolish... I just care.. I just care that... I just care very much that... I am found... making God happy...

1Cor. 1:25, 27-29 ~ "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men...But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

Psalm 19:14

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

Be acceptable in Your sight,

Halleujah [20 September 2011]

[May this be the musing in my heart... always...]

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Our God Reigns

There's gonna be a day

Of reckoning

Where we will stand

Before His throne

There's gonna be a day

Where God will dwell with man

Here on earth

Through all eternity...

I can only imagine...

God of Wonders

[When apostle Paul preached the gospel to the Church in Corinth, he "determined not to know anything among them except Jesus Christ and Him crucified". ~ 1Cor. 2:2

Jesus Christ... the power of God and the wisdom of God (1Cor. 1:24) and the message of the cross...to those who are being saved, it is the power of God (1Cor. 1:18).

My heart cries out to God for the demonstration of the Spirit and of power in our lives... and through our intercessory worship and teachings in the House... it cries out even more when I see situations and lives around me that are just waiting for the touch from our God of wonders... Break in, Lord! If this longing is put into my heart by You, come! If this is of myself, show me and teach me in Your ways... Yet Lord, You are a God of wonders, miracles and might, manifest your power and glory, that all men might put their faith in You!!! ]

GOD OF WONDERS [16 September 2011]

C G Am F

You walked into a wedding

Turned water into wine

And manifested Your glory

A man born blind

Received his sight

Revealing Your works in him

(Chorus)

God of wonders

God of might

Show us Your glory

Reveal Your might

God of miracles

Glory and might

Revive Your works

In our days... make them known...

Restoration - The Chiastic Structure of the Bible

Reading this verse is uplifting in itself - 2 Cor. 4:16 "...yet the inwardman is being renewed day by day..." - that deep within us, we are renewed daily by God's working power and grace.

Renewed daily... but don't just stop at 'sounds good, feels good'.. What does it mean to be renewed day by day?

As I recently discovered and keep discovering... the very heart and eternal plan of God - to restore all things to its original and perfect state - God dwelling with man and man with God (Rev. 21:3) and to those who overcome, they will have access to the tree of life in the Paradise of God (Rev. 2:7; 22:2). There will be no need for a tree of knowledge of good and evil, for they will have perfect knowledge of God! Also, see the chiastic chart on Israel, the Church and the kingdom of God above by One Thing Ministries.

Heb. 12:25-26 says, "but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven. Now this, “Yet once more,”indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain."

God is shaking all that can be shaking - even doctrines according to man (that are flaky) and not according to God's heart and His word ... that only what remains is a kingdom which cannot be shaken.

Newer and newer each day... truly a hope worth living for!

Revelation 22:14 - Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

A God Who Hides

[If you look closely at people who are after God's heart, you will find that they are a bit... er... slanted, inclined, leaned over... You see, most of the time, in fact at all times, they are found inquiring the Lord, inclining their ears to hear Him and leaning on God even in their weakness.

Yes, leaning... and who told you that man after God's own heart have no worries and problems in life? Look at David, most of his life, he was being chased by his enemies... yet he carried his heart before the Lord with distinction, leaning on Him.

As Proverbs 25:2 aptly puts it:

"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,

But the glory of kings is to search out a matter."

God hides from us. Why? So that we will search Him out. And you know what... He longs to hear our voice and be gracious to us! Isa. 30:18-19

"Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you;

... He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry;

When He hears it, He will answer you."

So take heart, call out to Him and call out to Him in faith. For without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6)

A GOD WHO HIDES

It's Your glory to hide Yourself

That I may search You out

And You wait to hear my voice

And You wait to hear my cry

So I cry out to You in faith

And I call out Your name

Show me Your face

Show me Your mysteries

Show me Your face

For You satisfy, You satisfy

You are a God who hides

So I'll search You out

You are a God who hides

It's my glory to find You...

This Beautiful Man

This Beautiful Man

Why should it be so
That He bore the shame

On the old rugged cross

This Beautiful Man

Who knew no sin

Came and paid it all

Saved us, cleansed us and gave us new life

From the cross to the grave

From the grave to the skies

It's not the end

For He is coming again

From the cross to the grave

From the grave to the skies

He's coming again

To marry His bride... to rule and reign... to judge the earth

So watch and pray

For the hour is coming

Where all will behold

This Beautiful Man, once again...