~ Oceans Will Part ~

This was just a song that I was listening to while I was preparing sermon today, and I know that I haven't really been blogging, but thought that this song would encourage a number of people, as it did me.

"No longer I who liveth, but Christ who liveth in me"

Oceans Will Part

Hillsong (in the past)

If my heart has grown cold

There Your love will unfold

As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand

When I'm blind to my way

There Your Spirit will pray

As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand

As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand

Oceans will part nations come

At the whisper of Your call

Hope will rise glory shown

In my life Your will be done

Present suffering may pass

Lord Your mercy will last

As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand

An my heart will find praise

I'll delight in Your way

As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand

As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand

Let God be the light and direction of our lives!

Will be posting something out soon, a reflection and thoughts on certain things!

Let's grow!

~ With All I Am ~

Just got back from KL! Had an awesome trip with Pastor How, Garrett, Jamie, Jian Ming, Yong Hui, Koon Yew, and but of course, Wei Ling!

It was a great trip, where we had so many adventures, from running all the way from a place called sunggeiwang to Pastor's hotel, to all the fantastic food that Pastor Kevin Loo just kept pushing and introducing to us. We had a blast, and what's the testimony of that?

Our stomachs!

However, recently, there has been some questions that I want to put forth to everybody out there, and challenge them to try think of the answers.

I was just thinking just how much is it that one can always say that they have convictions, but when they meet up with problems, they so easily let go. What are your convictions then?

If we consider how just a little bit of school, a little bit of tests and examinations, friends, music can pull us away, then... do we really have convictions?

I've been tired and in the last 2 days, I've been seeing how people are just starting to waiver and start to lose their dreams in God; worship leader, people leader, worship team drummer, worship team guitarist, back-up vocalist.

How do you lose your dreams in God? In reality, you lose them because you didn't have convictions in the start.

It was so amazing cause I was just thinking about all of these people, and a burden in my heart came so fresh, I just couldn't let go of that burden in my heart, and felt so down-trodden; then God asked me, what were my convictions?

I couldn't help it but the presence of God came and I knew that I had to do my Quiet Time.

The song I chose was this song...

With All I Am (by Hillsong - Australia)

Into Your hand

I commit again

With all I am

For You Lord

You hold my world

In the palm of Your hand

And I'm Yours forever

Jesus I believe in You

Jesus I belong to You

You're the reason that I live

The reason that I sing

With all I am

I'll walk with You

Wherever You go

Through tears and joy

I'll trust in You

And I will live

In all of Your ways and

Your promises forever

Jesus I believe in You

Jesus I belong to You

You're the reason that I live

The reason that I sing

With all I am

I will worship

I will worship You

I will worship

I will worship You forever

Jesus I believe in You

Jesus I belong to You

You're the reason that I live

The reason that I sing

With all I am

That is the declaration of my heart; that no matter what happens, that no matter what I have to go through, my convictions will NEVER sway.

God is my reason that I live.

With all I am, I will live for Him alone.

Think Moses, think Joshua...

Think... Jesus

To God a heart of flame

To others a heart of love

To self a heart of steel

It's a day for reflection and thoughts, where the Sunday comes to a halt in the absence of that 1 integral part of my week; week in, week out... service. Since doing ushering on the 1st day of Festival of Praise, I've not had service the next 2 days.

The word to describe it all... unreal

Like for example, today, we had CG... Wait!

Come to think of it, let me blog about CG!

It was a satisfying.

Why?

Simply because from the worship, to the Word, sharing, to the discussions, and culminating to the prayer, God's presence just really came.

In this time, I've realised that I've come quite a long way from the time since I 1st stepped into Heart of God Church.

In the last 1 month alone, I've learnt much, especially when it comes to people.

The fragile-ness and insecurities of a heart, and a person's character. Things can be broken and images torn down in those split seconds. The open-ness of a heart is laid bare when certain areas are broken through and spoken into.

It started to just remind me that God is in control and He gives us choices. Choices in which, though we may feel so laid bare, so down & out, so depressed, confused and discourage, yet He is always there.

The question is, 'do you know and acknowledge He is there?'

Deuteronomy 1:21

"Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged."

Thus when we feel fear or discouraged, let us remember that the LORD has 'set the land' before us. We just have to go up and possess it. It doesn't just refer to physical lands, but that of the mind, body, soul, the spiritual proclamation of the heart and Spirit.

I'm just going to leave this as it it, cause it's where it resounds...

As Mark 4:9

"And He said to them,'He who has ears to hear, let him hear!' "

~ Faith ~

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen"
~ Hebrews 11:1 ~

To me, this verse, though it was a verse like to remember in last year's VBS. It was a really powerful thing to me because as I was doing my Quiet Time (QT) just now, God placed this verse back into my heart again!

In the recent weeks, I've not been really very faith filled in certain areas of my life, and I think like when Fifi shared with us about faith during the leaders meeting last night (like until 115am in the middle of the night), it really impacted me!

It set me thinking and made me realise just how much I had to be living in faith, and living with faith. Normally, many people will live by the agenda of 'success breeds faith', but like what was shared yesterday, I truly believe in the other way round, 'faith breeds success'!

I sat there thinking back to the day I was 1st told to lead Effects Ministry, and then, a revelation hit me. In those times, I really didn't know anything, didn't know what to expect, didn't know just what I had to do, but I know I had just 1 thing... FAITH!

Faith to trust in the Lord.
Faith to lead the ministry.
Faith that the Lord will lead me to lead the ministry.

This is when I started to see Effects grow and mature, as talents grew and more people became more planted and committed in the ministry. It gave me the strength and the wisdom to lead, that simple faith and trust in God.

Only then did I realise just how much I really missed spending that time with God and to just cast all my inner and deeper burdens unto Him. Hence, as I was planning and doing a number of things just now, when there was just a burden to go into His presence and pray, I took that step of faith and did it.

I didn't care whether or not it would mean sacrificing sleep and working late. I didn't care whether it mean being physically spent. To me, all that mattered was that simple believe and faith that the only reason why I was called and burdened to do so, was that God wanted to do something.

I am glad that I did it.

During my QT, after being planted that Word, I realised just how powerful that 1 verse was in my life. It literally translate the essence of faith, to just believe and trust that things will happen, where at the end of it, it will become an evidence of things that would come.

As I dwelled in God's presence, He led me in prayer and I suddenly felt the burden to pray for certain things in my life and for certain people that I never really did count as priority people. In the end, the burden grew so strong, the presence came so strongly, I could do nothing but pray as the Lord leads and as I wept in His presence.

Towards the end, I could feel an tingling and electrifying experience flowing from my fingers and hands, to the rest of my body. It was as though God was just saying, 'have faith, I will lead you as you have faith that I will!'

I will live as that, and commit my life, into that simple essence of relationship with God...

FAITH

~ Rain... Raining down on me ~

What' s the purpose of my title?

Looking at the church events for the year, there's Red Rain Concert this coming 24th-25th May, 2008!

This is an event that brings in the alternative life of Christian music!

1st look into the concert, check out this website http://www.redrain.sg

After you look through, I'm sure that you'll want to come, so take the opportunity to enjoy and view a mindblowing, Christian music experience!

~ Water Baptism ~

"Whether that means life or death, no matter!"
~ Philippians 1:21 (My Utmost for His Highest) ~

This is my life verse, and it is what I live by, declaring it to everyone as I got baptised today.
Today, was one of the biggest days of my life, besides the day that I recommited my life to God.
It was the day that I got my Water Baptism.

Since I came to Heart of God Church, I've always dreamt and wanted to get myself water baptised, after being baptised in the Holy Spirit. Today, this finally came through, and I am at a lost of words, for words can never expressed the feelings and range of emotions that I've gotten today.

Today, as I stepped into the pool, awaiting my baptism, I felt God's presence, and it reassured me of my decision to take this step of faith, this step of declaration and to surrender all that I was to Him.

I will always remember the point when Pastors placed their hands upon me, and declared, 'Colin, I baptise you in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit!', and I was placed into the pool of water and out in less than 1 minute.

Yet, in that short few seconds that I was in the water, I felt God's presence. It was a presence, that really allowed me to feel totally clean, and a joy filled my heart & spirit. I then heard a Voice, that simply said, 'It is done!'

I came out, feeling very light, and more joyous then I ever had been! Feeling a love that I knew could only come from God for it made me tear and just praise Him in my spirit.

God is an awesome God!

~ Serving and Believing ~

"Feed My sheep"
~ John 21: 17 ~

A simple 3 words that mean so much, in so many ways. Yet, it provokes the mind, provokes the heart, provokes the spirit.

When the Lord asks us to feed His sheep, it's easy to say that we understand and that we will do it. It's easy to answer, 'Yes Lord, I will do it!'

But, do we really understand what does it fully entail and live it out?

Many times, while we serve and when we love, we say it's impossible and tiring, cause of different and special characters. Characters that we are not used to, characters that we are uncomfortable with, and characters that sometimes are in conflict with who we are.

However, when the calling comes and the commission has been laid, it is a simple rule... to LOVE.

Love not from our own capacity, but drawing it from our Father, and love only like the Father can. It something so simple yet so hard, yet we've to understand this and tap onto it. It's not easy, but it's the ONLY way.

Love is from God, so who else better to learn from but Him. He Who loves us more then we ever deserved.

The question now is, do you believe that you can do it? Do you believe that we can trust the Lord, and love & serve like He wants us to do, and like Him?

"Sir, Thou hast nothing to draw with"
~ John 4:11 ~

How much faith do we have in our Father?

When we say that we cannot accomplish something, we're actually not trusting in the Lord. It's as though we are saying that God can't do the things that we want to do.

It's as though we question His almighty power and we belittle Him who guides us, directs us and empowers us.

'where's thy faith'
That's the question one has to ask.

"Lift up your eyes on high, and behold Who hath created these things."
~ Isaiah 40:26 ~

Our imagination and faith should never be limited. What we should do however, is to expand our vision and plant our faith.

We can only do this when we sit back and raise our eyes, dreams and visions up to God, and know that He is God.

Only then, can we truly grow and endure all in Him.
Only then, can we truly believe and live.
Only then, can we truly...

Live, Learn, Lead

Only then, can we truly...

LOVE