Enough for Today

WHAT GOOD IS PRAYER?

Lord, teach us to pray." Luke 11:1

It is not part of the life of a natural man to pray. We hear it said that a man will suffer in his life if he does not pray; I question it. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a man is born from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve that life or nourish it. Prayer is the way the life of God is nourished. Our ordinary views of prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.

"Ask and ye shall receive." We grouse before God, we are apologetic or apathetic, but we ask very few things. Yet what a splendid audacity a childlike child has! Our Lord says - "Except ye become as little children." Ask, and God will do. Give Jesus Christ a chance, give Him elbow room, and no man will ever do this unless he is at his wits' end. When a man is at his wits' end it is not a cowardly thing to pray, it is the only way he can get into touch with Reality. Be yourself before God and present your problems, the things you know you have come to your wits' end over. As long as you are self-sufficient, you do not need to ask God for anything.

It is not so true that "prayer changes things" as that prayer changes me and I change things. (AH! So true!) God has so constituted things that prayer on the basis of Redemption alters the way in which a man looks at things. Prayer is not a question of altering things externally, but of working wonders in a man's disposition.

THE CROSS IN PRAYER

At that day ye shall ask in My name." John 16:26

We are too much given to thinking of the Cross as something we have to get through; we get through it only in order to get into it. The Cross stands for one thing only for us - a complete and entire and absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ, and there is nothing in which this identification is realized more than in prayer.

"Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him." Then why ask? The idea of prayer is not in order to get answers from God; prayer is perfect and complete oneness with God. If we pray because we want answers, we will get huffed with God. The answers come every time, but not always in the way we expect, and our spiritual huff shows a refusal to identify ourselves with Our Lord in prayer. We are not here to prove God answers prayer; we are here to be living monuments of God's grace.

"I say not that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father Himself loveth you." Have you reached such an intimacy with God that the Lord Jesus Christ's life of prayer is the only explanation of your life of prayer? Has Our Lord's vicarious life become your vital life? "At that day" you will be so identified with Jesus that there will be no distinction.

When prayer seems to be unanswered, beware of trying to fix the blame on someone else. That is always a snare of Satan. You will find there is a reason which is a deep instruction to you, not to anyone else.

What's these?
Its from Oswald Chambers' 'My Utmost for His Highest' devotional..Dated 28th Aug and 6th Aug respectively. Have been truly challenged & blessed reading this book. Highly recommend it to all!

Why is it here?
Its speaking to me very personally..thought i'd blogged it too.

btw..currently;

1. Working on the media promo for Relentless07. Should be out by the early next week. Gotta remind myself that. But did i mentioned i'm so glad to be given this opportunity? Feel so natural to ease in into it. Can't help it if i kinda like it a lot now :)

2. My students' will be sitting for their trial exams..lots of work. But doesn't time flies so fast? Can't believe many of them will be graduating already this year (included in the blog, pics of my students' graduation. Did i mentioned it coincide with Free2Be? And that it would have been quite impossible for me to focus if not for Him leading all the way. Initial reaction. WHY must it be on the SAME day?!?! Dah la so THE many THE things to do! Then, took a deep breath & 2Tim 1:12 spoke to me - hold that verse close to my heart. Yes, Lord..i feel the stretch & You were there every step of the way! So, chaotic? yes! but a peace that surpasses all understanding all the way through it. because of that, it ain't that bad...)

3. EYM this week. YEAH!!

4. Still reading 'Friend Raising' and slotting Corrie Ten Boom's biography there too. Simply love it. Might be asking why 2 books at once?
Funny thing..was reading a part of 'Friend Raising ' where it talked about having the confidence in God to provide for the needs as a missionary.
It mentioned Corrie Ten Boom's statement at a conference she was giving on her work in mission. She said something like this when the offering was about to be collected. "I'd rather have a dollar from you that the Lord has called you to give then a thousand dollars that He hasn't"
and the writer stated that Ms Boom's statement demonstrates her entire view on how the very God who has called her will be able to provide regardless of situation and that it is in Him the strength of her ministry comes from & not the fundings.
And i thought 'WOW'...
then i remembered that i actually bought Ms Boom's biography just a week ago on a separate occasion. Thus, the reading of 2 books.

Coincidence? I don't believe in coincidences anymore.

Anyways, here's my 'kids' pictures :D

The Senior graduation (My S3A)

Gearing for the graduation ceremony

*All photos were taken on 18th Aug 07

2 Tim 1:12
...Yet I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what i have entrusted to Him for that day.

Go with God, ppl!

Truth vs. 'oh-I-wish'

Read something in the email today that echoes so true..

What Jesus Really Wants!

These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me. Matthew 15:8

One of the most prolific New Testament scholars in the world, NT Wright, once wrote, The longer you look at Jesus, the more you will want to serve Him in His world." Unfortunately, many people never get a glance of the real Jesus. People have made up a Jesus that suits them not the one that is so powerfully revealed in the scriptures. Just like we are apt to create all sorts of things in our world to meet our needs and make our lives easier, so we mess around with Jesus. If we were all completely honest with ourselves, I think we find that a Jesus who plays to our convenience, self-indulgence and the world that revolves around is the kind of God each of us really desires. Too many create a Jesus that puts few demands upon us. We see a Jesus who promises to open up His eternal bag of goodies for us at the expression of our latest whim. However, the reality is that the closer you look at the gospels, the more you realize that kind of Jesus doesn't exist.

I challenge you to know and follow the real Jesus. Because He loves us and wants the best for us, He calls us to follow His own example of living a life that involves sacrifice, self-denial, humility, a servant heart and a passion for that which moves the heart of God. Jesus challenge to us is the same as the one he gave His listeners 2,000 years ago all He really wants is our heart! Once He has our heart, He'll have our obedience, desires, and our true sense of worship.

Btw, Curtin's VCF camp was good. Absolutely loved the walk in the rain, although it deviated from the original plan but it wasn't one bit wasted.

Got time to talk to some of the girls, which was an absolute delight. And in the midst of it all, Ps John instructed us to memorise Eph 3:20-21..I had goose-bumps...Good goose bumps.

The one thing that touch me. I like the fact that the camp was opened to all to join. Many came searching and rightfully so. I'm just praying the seeds that were planted will eventually grow and bear fruit. Wished so much they could see it. See who God really is..How He loves us and made us for Himself. How our only true purpose is found in Him. How He loves us oh so much that He engineered the greatest plan of salvation for all.

How humanity has fallen short of God's original purpose for us. How vital and crucial it is for us to know that we could do nothing to save ourselves. How that its only in Him that true salvation is found.

How humanity was naturally born with an ingrained cancer - sin..and it is only in God that full redemption and healing can be found.

Managed to talk to some..wished that i had the liberty of witnessing a physical, tangible sign that its going somewhere but this is where i finish my part for now..i think.

I could only pray..for them, that they will received this only salvation whole heartedly. For me, compassion and sensitivity..I had to be nudged to notice them..oh! that we may see all these opportunities and grab them when today is still today. What to do, what to say, when to do and how to do..teach me then..

and it case you have not noticed..i'm back! missed EYM this week..

Before crossing the river to Niah caves

With the Jonah group (3 at far left not included :P)

To blog or not to blog? - a mind shift

Apparently..yes..

Currently:

1. Still basking over the way God engineered things, situation and ppl. How we serve a truly awesome God! What an unforgetable week! In fact, life-altering.
2. Waiting for the Free2Be pics. The downsized version to avoid major space consumption..21 gig all together. Man, the media really worked their hearts out..kudos!
3. Gearing for the Curtin CF camp tomorrow til Sunday at Niah. Yea!! Back into nature..
   
4. Reading a book called 'Friend Raising'. Couldn't put it down yet. Its an answered prayer to some crucial questions that i've always wanted to know but didn't dare to hear the answer. Now that it's in my face..i'm getting the msg loud and clear..

Post 'i-got-the-msg-loud-and-clear' note:
I don't know many things. I still don't understand many things. But one thing i do know. You have won my heart and it has sold out to You the moment the truth of who You are exploded into my reality.

Today, You are my reality.

You have spoken Life & Truth in my life that I dare not live without.

You have even instilled dreams in me that I would have not even dare think of. And now, as impossible as it seemed, i'm seeing these dreams slowly unfolding.

Thus, i come to this...I want more then. To lay it all out in the open before You. Right here, down at Your feet.

My dreams, hope, fear, doubts, and deepest of heart's desire - here there are.

Far it be that when I stand before You, when all my work has ceased..to find myself asking, why didn't i do anything?!

I know You're not done with me yet..where to now, my Master? where to now?

*This has been on my wall for so long and has meant so much to me that it hurts. Today, it hurts even more.
'God long so much to bring us to a place where we ache so much with His heart, that to do nothing is simply no longer an option.'

Eph 3:20-21
'Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Btw, something to look forward to..