Bling Bling Forever ❤

It's funny how only after someone passes away that your heart becomes fonder of them.

Although I have always been a fan of SHINee, Jonghyun-shi wasn't my bias. Although I love the group as a whole, I never really "looked out" for him. However, in the recent years as I watched and rewatched some of SHINee's old videos, I began not to just enjoy scenes that my bias was in, but to love them all as a whole. It wasn't long later that we had to face the reality that SHINee is no longer 5 talented young men... I may not know them personally, but as many other fans out there are heartbroken, so am I.

In spite of that, I am thankful that SHINee existed as 5 in the first place. They were an awesome group that would have gone far as a group and individually. Each carrying their own flair and flavour to the group. I will always support SHINee, even if 5 is now, physically, only 4. Jonghyun-shi, I hope that you are watching your boys from Heaven and giving them strength to be ONE in spirit along with you and ONE as a group.

You wanted to be released with the knowledge that you have worked hard in the eyes of others. But Jonghyun-shi, you have not only worked very very hard, you have excelled excellently in your time here. I have hope that we will meet in Heaven. Rest well in Christ.

❤ 18 Dec 2017

Do You Believe? (Photo evidence)

Do You Believe?

Yesterday, we had did a short house visit to Yi En's. 4 of us. Joel, Jerome, Sheralyn and myself. We woke up early, met for breakfast at the market near her place, and felt really good to have started the day well. So we reached her place and was greeted by her mum. Super hospitable lady. She left, soon after we settled down, for work. Chatted a little and looked at some of Yi En's old photos with the rest, then we started to worship God with songs, led by Joel. Had a wonderful time together praying for Yi En and praying for her family's salvation. The Lord met us at her home and we could feel His presence. Then Joel shared with us an experience that Dawn had shared with him and the band as they prepared for Sunday's worship.

Dawn shared with the praise team that she saw "a wall of miraculous wonder"! It was at a brother in Christ's place. Mimi saw that there were many coins stuck on the wall. Upon asking, the brother told them that he attended a worship session where they witnessed supernatural encounters of gold dust and gem stones appearing. A little boy began to pray for coins to stick on the wall, and they did. Many others joined in and witnessed the same miracle. This brother went home and thought to himself that if it could happen there, it could happen in his room too. So he started praying and sticking coins on the wall miraculously. That was 3 years ago and the coins remained on the wall.

Later that day, Jerome, one of the 4 who heard about this story, went home and decided to try it too! He prayed and two coins stuck onto the wall in his home. We were awed! I immediately decided to try it too. But 4-5 times, it kept falling. I gave up, my dad and sis were walking around and I did't wanna look like an idiot. So I stopped and thought, "that's probably not for me." Later that same night, Sheralyn who also heard the story, tried it in her room. She prayed once, it fell. Second time, it fell. But on the third time, she prayed fervently. The coin stuck to the wall. I was astounded. She did't give up till it stuck. So this time, it was pretty late in the night, I said to God, "Lord, I will try again tomorrow morning. Let it stick, I'll try till it sticks. I believe You can do it for me too." And so I slept.

This morning, I took some dollar coins and tried sticking them. I prayed harder than last night. 3 times, 4 time... 7 times. It still fell again and again. 8th time, stuck for 3 seconds and fell again. I was perspiring. "How many more times Lord?" I asked. Then my grandma heard the coins dropping and asked what it was all about. I told her the truth, I'm sticking coins to the wall. My friends did it, I wanna try too. So I said, "I'll show you, it sticks!" With faith like a mustard seed, I mustered up the courage to walk right in front of the alter at home, on the wall in front of my grandma, regardless of how many times I had failed, and placed my finger on top of the coin against the wall. "Lord, God, You need to let this stick or I will not hear the last of this failure." I prayed and prayed. Then I let go.

LOW AND BEHOLD, IT STUCK TO THE WALL. I went nuts! OMGosh, what in the world! Only You, God, could make that happen. Right in front of the alter my grandma worshipped, in full view of my grandma and helper, IT STUCK! That was a miracle in itself.

Though it dropped after 7-8 minutes, I knew it was God who answered that prayer. "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6 (NIV) He loves my family more that I ever could, and I know He will bring them to knowledge of Him and His saving grace.

So, YES. I believe! In Jesus' Name. Amen~

Steep Myself

Steep means to ‘devote (oneself) fully to’. To immerse, plunge, soak up oneself in something.

In The Message translation of Matthew 6:33, Paul tells us to, “Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” Just before this, Paul also said, he was trying to get the people to relax, “to not be so preoccupied with getting, so that you can respond to God’s giving.”

I’ve honestly never seen it in this way. At a glance, I always thought that my getting = God’s giving. You know what I mean? Because I get what I ask for, it means that God is giving.

But Paul helped me to understand something that I got wrong here. What happens if I don’t get what I want? Does that mean that God stops giving?

He doesn’t! God gives because He loves. He doesn’t give because He owes it to us or because He has to. He doesn’t! But we focus so much on getting what we want that when it doesn’t happen, we blame Him for not giving. God has given already so much more than we asked. For instance, if I was asking for a partner because I was feeling lonely in life and God doesn’t seem to be answering. When each time I get together with someone, it ends up not going well and we break up. Then maybe the it isn’t that I wanted a partner to settle down with, but because I wanted companions. God could have provided a loving family and patient friends who would always gather round and love me. But because I was preoccupied in finding a partner that I’ve neglected them and cause them to respond to hurt, therefore, becoming distant and “disinterested” in my life.

Takeaway
God doesn’t give because I get, He gives because He sees the deeper needs of my life. And only when I focus on what He gives freely, that I will experience who He is.

Daddy - Daughter Devotional Time (10/40)

"I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken." (John 15:1-3 MSG)

NLT says, "you have already been pruned and purified..." The whole world is like the brunches that don't bear fruit, and hence, cut off from the Real Vine. But because of the miracle of LOVE, we now are being pruned back, one by one, when we allow Jesus into our hearts. He came to the earth with a message, and that message is that we are no longer slaves to sin or to Him. We are co-heirs with Christ and we are God's sons and daughters. We are, Jesus calls, friends of His, and He is welcoming those who will believe in the message He has brought to us.

I read in John 8 previously, "A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free." (John 8:35-36 NLT) And I remember sharing that we are only slaves but not in the "family" of sin. We are, though, in the family of Christ. We have an inheritance from God Himself. So, when God prunes us back, it is final. We are His and He is ours. When we remain in Him and He in us, Jesus says, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand." (John 10:28-29 NLT)

I thank God that I can be sure of my salvation and my bearing of fruits in Him today! Thank You Jesus! ^^

Daddy - Daughter Devotional Time (8&9/40)

"I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going." (John 14:30-31 NLT)

Love the humility of Jesus in this part of the passage of John 14. Jesus was exemplifying to all humanity what it truly means to submit and honour someone that we love. He's showing us what it means to respect and take the humble posture.

We all know that Jesus has power and authority over satan, but because Jesus loves the Father, he was willing to take the posture of humility and be nailed to the cross. But it wasn't because he had no power over satan, it was because he submitted to the Father's commands. What's the difference? Well,  to me, one is more difficult to do than the other. I mean, who prefers to submit when we can overpower by our own strength? But Jesus had done just that. He showed us real, authentic love and something that many times, we are afraid to do because it makes us look small and weak.

Our worth and identity is not found in the things that we do or the opinions of others, it is found in the eyes of the Lord and our God! Jesus was weak, yet he was strong. We, therefore, are weak but because we have Jesus, we are strong!

Today, what is my self-worth based on? Wealth, grades, popularity? Jesus says, "And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" (Mark 8:36 NLT) Is not our soul more important than these temporal comments and opinions?

Daddy - Daughter Devotional Time (7/40)

"I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say." (John 12:49-50 NLT)

Jesus recognises the Father's authority that was given to him. The same authority he now gives to us. Jesus knows fully that whatever the Father says and does is leading us to eternal life. So, he was willing to place his entire life in the Father's hands, even until the grave!

Isn't that like what James said in James 1:2, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials..." (NKJV) and he continues by saying, "knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." (NKJV) Another version says "your endurance has a chance to grow." (NLT)

He then goes on to tell us that "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking," (James 1:5 NLT)

So, even though what Jesus said would eventually lead him to the cross where he gives himself up, he was willing. He was sure that it would lead to eternal life! And did it? Yes! Yes, it did! Eternal life for Jesus, for the Jews and for everyone who would believe in His Name!

Today, I ask myself, do I also speak out of Jesus' authority, or am I just full of empty speech and worthless promises? Am I speaking without weight? I want to speak with the authority of God! And I can only do so when I know what God is saying through His Word, in the Scriptures. The Word is filled with promises from our faithful Father who will see it through when we agree with Him by speaking the Word back to Him!