Prayer

O my Abba Father in Heaven,
I give You thanks, and worship, and praise,
For You have dealt bountifully with me, and have lifted me from my sorrows.
You have surrounded me with encouragement, and warm words.
My soul is lifted up in joy, and in the edifying of my beloved brethren.
Surely, I had doubts, distresses and worries with me.
But they are nothing in Your sight.
In the twinkling of an eye, they are gone and lifted from my shoulders.
For You removed my burdens and put Your yolk upon me.
As it is written, Your yolk is light, and so enjoyable to carry.
Let me learn from You, O Rock of my Salvation, continually unto eternity.
Let me dwell with You, from now and forevermore!
Search my heart, and try my thoughts, and know my weaknesses.
Forgive me my trespasses, though they be many, and free me from the snares of the evil one.
Correct and rebuke me in Your hot displeasure, but please, O Lord,
Do not forsake me, nor withdraw Your mercy from me.
Do not take away Your Holy Spirit from me, for where would I be without You?
Discipline me with the rod, and chasten me with strips, and I shall turn from my wickedness.
For in You I hope continually, and ceaselessly, against all hope.
In You alone, is truth, salvation, eternal life, mercy, love and joy.
These things I seek, and my soul thirsts for them.
O, my God, in You I rejoice and will rejoice forever!

Prayers for my brethren

Praying for brother Kiran and sister Sekir – Kiran’s confusion over religions, financial problems and lack of job

Praying for brother Jesuslovesme54 – his mother in law is in ICU due to a road accident

Praying for brother Zeta-Neubourn – he is constantly harrassed and possessed by a demon and has not found deliverance in the Lord

Praying for brother Victor – he suffers from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Praying for brother Tehka and the brethren in east Malaysia – government is persecuting the church

Praying for this sister who has pneumonia

Avoiding temptations at all cost

Dear brethren in Christ,

Peace and grace be upon you all from the God of peace, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise be to the Lord forevermore, for by His Grace He sustains us daily, that we may be delivered from our temptations and resist sin, putting to death the deeds of the flesh daily, laying upon ourselves the crosses that we should carry and yielding ourselves to the leading of the Spirit of God.

It has been my concern that there may be certain brethren that still hold the opinion that we have the grace of God and thus it is ok to immerge ourselves in things that can potentially cause us to stumble through temptations. This, I must say, is dangerous and ruinous to a Christian, and must be corrected.

Our Lord did not teach that we can expose ourselves to things that tempt us willingly, but rather He said:

Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. (Matthew 18:8-9)

The Lord commanded us to cut off the source of stumbling, especially when it is in our power to do so, so that we cause no one to stumble by our indulgence. If watching the TV causes us to stumble, we muct stop watching it altogether. If going to the cinema causes us to stumble, never go there again. This is the command of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do not be deceived, my brethren, and think it is ok to go to places of stumbling simple because you have the grace of God. No, by doing such a thing and exposing yourself to temptations willingly, you tempt God by abusing His grace. His grace will sustain you, but only under circumstances where you could not avoid a temptation that comes your way. Anything beyond this is not lawful, and should not be done by anyone who truly loves the Lord.

May the God of peace search your hearts and bring you all into the true light. Amen.

Why is there no message of repentance?

Looking at the recent earthquakes in Christchurch and Japan, much sympathy is poured out upon the souls that are affected and killed in them. The world, even the Churches, are primarily concerned about the well-being of the people’s mortal bodies.

I do not say that such a concern is wrong, and I certainly do not blame the world for being unaware of the reality of such disasters. But what about the Churches? What about those who profess their faith in the Lord? Have they never read in the Scriptures:

Shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? (Amos 3:6)

Instead of caring about the state of their souls and their repentance, Churches pray for the grace and mercy of God, on their mortal lives! I myself have been guilty of this many times, and now I know I must not pray in such a manner. Instead, I ought to do what King David did:

But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom. I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother. (Psalm 35:13-14)

Why do the Churches fail to understand that repentance is what is really needed for these people to be saved, and not material blessings that deliver none from their sins?

My confessions of my sins on 19th March 2011

I confess before God, that I have committed the following sins that I need to make restitution of:

By speaking evil and thinking evil of my (second) uncle and aunty and being angry with them behind their backs as well as being selfish without considering their feelings

By speaking evil and thinking evil of the maid who is taking care of my grandfather in Wuxi
Restitution: I must apologise to them formally and plead their forgiveness

By signing on the passport processing document that contained my false birth-date record
Restitution: I must admit such faults before the officer who processed my application and ask if it can be amended

By being angry and disrespectful towards my parents
Restitution: I must apologise to them formally and plead their forgiveness

By being angry with the people at police post and wanting to scold them
Restitution: I must apologise to them formally and plead their forgiveness, as well as entreating them again to handle my case

By being angry with (fourth) my uncle and aunty as well as being selfish without considering their feelings
Restitution: I must apologise to them formally and plead their forgiveness

By having false records on my JC CCA records
Restitution: By confessing to NUS, TJC’s CG tutor and relevant CCA teachers as well as all organisations which are affected with my false records and plead their forgiveness

Trust in the Lord and yearn to know the Lord!

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

Peace and mercy  to you all from our Gracious Lord Yahweh and His Son Jesus Christ (Yeshua). It has been my earnest desire to write to you all what I have in my mind and heart, and I believe it necessary and good as a fellow laborer in the Kingdom to edify all of you with regards to the common faith in Jesus Christ our Savior.

Through all these trials and failures that I’ve been through, I have learned much and am still yearning to learn more. But one thing I have learned of utmost importance is this: To trust in the Lord and yearn to know Him more and more each and every day.

Just like apostle Paul has once mentioned: I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord (Philippians 3:7 KJV) Who can but not wonder at the depths of the meaning of what Paul wrote here? Is not Paul telling us that nothing in this world is worth pursuing but that of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord? Plainly speaking, Paul considers the knowledge of Christ Jesus that he gains through his communion with the Lord so precious that everything else is to him loss even if he gains them!

Look at Moses, how he besought the Lord to show him His glory (Exodus 33:18 KJV). What Moses asks here is indeed bold, but why did he dare to ask? Because he had an earnest desire to know the Lord, to know of His character and His goodness. He had faith in God, and his faith translated to his most humble and yet confident prayer towards his Maker. The Lord was pleased with his request, and He gave thus the following reply:

I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. (Exodus 33:19)

Consider my words, beloved brethren: Did not the Lord call us to sanctification by His Holy Spirit through faith? And what is faith but trusting in the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind? And how do you trust in the Lord unless you get to know the boundless goodness and glory of His character and His nature? And how do you know Him unless you yearn to know Him and seek His Face as more precious than you own life? This is the essence of Christianity: Having an earnest desire to commune with God and then letting Him direct your life.

What more shall I say? Is this not the child-like faith that the Lord requires of us? To depend on Him, to trust in Him, to yearn our hearts to Him in fervent adoration and love – just like how an innocent child would with his or her father. And by doing so, we will enjoy a blessedness and joy that nothing in this world, no, not even the most fanciful cars and largest piles of cash, can bestow on us. Praise be to the Lord God of hosts forever! Amen!

Deliver us, O Lord our God!

O our blessed Abba Father in Heaven,
Look upon Your children in the vastness of the land, and consider the state of Your servants.
Look how many of them have fallen, fallen in the snares laid up for them!
One falls by pride, the other by selfishness, and many others by the deception that encircles them!
Who will deliver and rescue them, but You alone, O Lord of hosts?
For many, are the traps of the enemy, and the trials before us.
Send us Your angels, O Lord, and uphold us by Your outstretched Hands!
Crush the enemy under Your feet, and arm us with the full armor of God!
For by Your strength we overcome, all errors and deceits and snares.
By Your Word we war against dignitaries, and tear down the strongholds of the enemy.
Come quickly to us, O Lord our Salvation, lest we be destroyed by the enemy of our souls!
Deliver us from them, O Lord our God!

Praise be to the Lord Yahweh, my only God forever!

Praise be to You, O Lord my God!
For You are my Shield and my Shepherd, and in You only do I have hope.
Every breath I take is because of Your sustenance, every move I make shall be under Your guidance.
One thing I hope, and two things I ask: That I may be with You forever.
Withdraw not Your Holy Spirit from me, nor give me over to a depraved mind.
Uphold me with Your Righteous Hand, that I may serve You with joy in my heart.
For You alone are my God, whom I worship and seek.
Praise be to You, O Lord Yahweh!

True faith is about obedience

Thanks and Praises be to the Lord our God and His Christ Jesus our Lord for the great mercies and love He has bestowed upon us by the death and resurrection of Lord Jesus and His shed blood on the Calvary Cross. In Him is eternal life and the hope of a blessed future for the righteous and those who love Him. Grace and peace from the Lord Yahweh on all who read this.

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ as well as all those who are reading this article: I would like to share today about true faith that is required of believers to be saved.

As an introduction to those who have not yet come to the saving Grace of the Lord Yeshua (Jesus), I would like to outline the essentials of faith in the Gospel and the plan of Salvation of God.

Plan of Salvation from God

Adam and Eve, our very first parents, fell into the first sin of mankind when they believed the devil (satan) and took of the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. This sin is their willful and direct disobedience to God’s command and thus resulted in the downfall of mankind. They gave in to the lust of the flesh (they saw that the forbidden fruit was good for food), lust of the eyes (the forbidden fruit was pleasing to the eyes) and the pride of life (they wanted to be as knowledgeable as God) and were utterly deceived. This disobedience led them to become hostile to God in the flesh (nature) and this hostile nature was inherited by all mankind after them.

Sin multiplied as a result, and death reigned against all humanity. But God our Creator did not leave us helpless in this dire state. Instead, He planned for His people a way of Salvation. Because sin is deserving of punishment, He offered up His only begotten Son Jesus Christ (Yeshua) to take on the punishment due us. Through the death of the Lord Yeshua, God’s Love and Mercy was manifested to the full, seen and witnessed by many who then related the story to the rest of the world. All who will believe in God’s Son Jesus Christ and be baptized in His Name will be saved and will be reconciled to God to the state before Adam and Eve fell. It is this faith that will save the lost: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9 KJV)

This is the glorious Salvation and redemption of Man set out by God for those who will put their hope in Him and come into the knowledge of His Love and Mercies through His Son Jesus Christ.

What is true faith that leads to Salvation?

Lord Yeshua answered this plainly: If ye love Me, keep My commandments. (John 14:15 KJV)

When one truly comes to the faith in Jesus Christ and know of His Love and Mercy and great sacrifice for humanity on the Cross, that individual will irresistibly love the Lord for the great things He has done. All who have true faith in the Lord will come to know Him and love Him more and more each day, and thus their faith is strengthened. It is this faith that leads to love and then it results in sanctification as the believer puts all his or her mind and heart into deeds that please God.

That is why the Lord said those who love Him will keep His commandments. It is the same for parent-child relationship. If you truly love your parents, you would most certainly obey them and please them. Even the thought of rebelling against them will make you feel disgusted with yourself and unhappy. But God is much more than a Father, He is the only One who can give you Eternal Life and who created you by putting you into your mother’s womb. Your every breath comes because of His sustenance, and everything good you have in your life is His blessing to you. His only requirement is that you love Him to the greatest measure you can as a human, because He loves you to the greatest measure He can.

It is no wonder that the greatest commandment of God is to love Him with all your heart, your soul and your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5) Those who obey such a commandment are occupied with serving the Lord and doing His commandments: It is these people who will be justified by their faith, because they love the Lord fully from their hearts and they show the world that they are salt and light through their daily actions in obeying the Lord. They love what the Lord loves, and hate what the Lord hates. They are the true doers of the Word, and not mere hearers. They are the ones whom the Lord Himself will welcome into His Kingdom, and will be glorified and sanctified with Him.

Do you have such faith in God and His Christ?

Torn between decisions – my indignance and anger

Since I have taken flight and left my parents after a quarrel with them, I have been torn by the decision of whether to leave or to stay with them, whether to continue my university course or end it altogether.

I have to admit that after all these persuasions by the people around me, my initial insistence and determination is now shaken, badly. I also have to admit that I am not as strong as I thought I am, thinking that I would be able to really put down everything (even my innate insecurity in leaving home to go to a strange land) for Christ. Indeed, my spirit is willing but my flesh is weak.

In fact, I am still facing very strong temptations in the flesh and that I had wanted to return to my university course because it gave me some kind of false security and pride. This reason is obviously wrong and I ought to repent to God for such a wicked intention (especially about my pride). But contradictorily, on the other side, I am still hoping for a possibility for me to continue my university course and yet live as a righteous child before my God. I am still hoping that somehow I can stay by my parents and yet live a obedient life to God (since it is also pleasing to Him that I should honor my parents). Is it possible? I really do not know.

Before I left, I was very convinced that God wanted me to leave, both my parents and my university. I tried to run away from my relatives who came to fetch me at Shanghai airport with a farewell letter in my hands (albeit I failed). Multiple times, I thought of leaving them secretly. I even went to the point of buying a train ticket to set off alone, again with a farewell letter written. But I couldn’t, I just couldn’t. At first, it was because my relatives did not allow. But now, my insides are at loggerheads, and my heart seems to be yielding to the opposite side. What is happening to me?

I cannot help wondering, why are there so much obstacles put before me? Why did the Lord not help me to overcome all these obstacles if indeed He wanted me to leave? I know for sure that if the Lord wanted me to go this way, He would provide a way for me. But since I left Singapore, I faced only obstacles within and without. Not a single person, not even believers, gave me assurance that I am indeed following God’s will. Even I myself am doubting if the Lord really wanted me to physically leave everything behind. Is the Lord putting me through all these only to test my heart? To see if I am truly willing to give up everything for His sake? I do not know, I really don’t.

But I really don’t like this insecurity and uncertainty. It makes me feel as though I have no faith in Him, and that I am double-minded. I even strayed for a time, indulging in sinful pleasures that I once renounced. What is worse, I am now forced to bear upon myself this sin that I never wanted to commit – bearing false witness.

Because of my parents’ ignorance of God’s Righteousness and their pursuit of wordly academic excellence, they altered my birth-date at the time of my birth and I am now forced to take along false records of my birth-date on all my official documents. Now, even the authorities will not help me to amend this false record because they refuse to believe in truthful testimonies and insist on documental evidences that no longer exist. Many times, I am frustrated to the point of wanting to run away, and indignantly angry at the reluctance of people to believe in true testimonies and their vain reliance on records.

I cannot help but think that if people started to believe in God their Creator and relied on His Righteous Judgments, they would not do such wickedness and insist of maintaining falsehood (just because they cannot know for sure who is telling the Truth). God would tell them the Truth and they would not be so unjust in their decisions.

And yet I hear people (even believers) saying that I am being extreme for wanting to alter my false birth-date record since it is only a few days difference. I am even accused of torturing my parents by being so insistent and that I am not being filial by putting my parents through such trouble and sorrow. But they fail to realise that lying before God is worthy of death – eternal death in the Lake of Fire.

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Rev 21:8 KJV)

The Words of Jesus Christ (Yeshua) is as simple as that – liars will not enter the Kingdom of God. Altering birth-dates is essentially against the law (in Singapore at least), no matter what intentions you may have. There is also no such thing as a “white” lie (or a lie from good intentions), because all lies ultimately result in corrupted behaviors and harm yourself and others. If you tell a few “white” lies, sooner or later it becomes a habit and you will find yourself lying even to harm others. God puts a conscience in us, and telling “white” lies will not make anyone less guilty in their consciences.

To me, it is as simple, lying is against God’s commandments. Altering my birth-date into a false one is lying, even though the intention was not to harm others. The hospital who approved of my parents’ dishonesty essentially also bore false witness and they also violated God’s commandments. Even those who are unbelievers acknowledge that my parents’ act is wrong in essence, but yet they refuse to amend the error. Now I am forced to carry around with me falsity in all my official documents, and people not only do not support my cause, but accuse me and disregard/denounce the act of upholding honesty. Shall not the Lord God Yahweh be my Righteous Judge in this? Shall not the Lord my Saviour Jesus be indignant for my sake?

And now I am torn in this – should I stop using all these documents since they contain falsity? Or should I continue using them but disclose the Truth to all who will look upon the falsity?

I have no confidence in my flesh, because after all these trials I’ve been through, I now know how weak and wicked I really am. Indeed, every inclination of my heart is wickedness. (Genesis 6:5)  If the Lord does not save me from this wretched state and this wretched world, who will?