Praise

Geez.. I don't even know where to start. I have so many awesome stuff about God that I want to share. Have I told you about how He healed that tiny little bubble-pimple-like-thing on my eyelid? Or about how He had blessed me with unexpected good results in my studies? Or about how He blessed my brother and I with two free beds for our new apartment? Or about the free lunch and dinner I had yesterday? Or how I finally got to pay half of my tuition fees? I have so much more to say! :D

I love Jesus so much that I don't even know how to write all those feelings here. I am so so glad that He is faithful even when I am not. :) Okay, so I was reading this book called "The Unquenchable Worshipper" by Matt Redman - the guy who wrote the song "Heart of Worship".

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Before reading it, I thought it would be like "some other praise and worship book" with instructions on how to choose the right songs blalala.. However, to my surprise, Redman wrote this book so well (not that I've already finished reading it) that almost every page is worth quoting for. Hah. So, I am going to quote some of the phrases that I really like from that book in this post. I hope you'd be encouraged and blessed after reading them! :)

"Bitterness dampens and eventually destroys love for God. It eats away at the statement "God is love" and tells us He is not faithful. But contentment does the opposite: It fuels the heart with endless reasons to praise God."

"The brightness of His glory and the wonders of His heart will no doubt have us pouring out new songs for all eternity."

"We may be hard-pressed on every side, weary and not able to sense God. But then a choice faces us - to fix our eyes on the circumstances or to cling to God and choose to worship Him, even when it hurts."

"We talk a lot about Spirit-led worship, but if we truly want to be led by the Holy Spirit, we need to make sure we're keeping in step with Him in our daily lives...I need to make sure that I'm making my life an appropriate dwelling place for Him..."

"The heat of worship is fueled by essential things...There are other ways too, such as getting out into nature- the ocean, mountains or just a field- to soak our souls in the wonder of our creator."



p/s: These are all from chapter one! (Whaaaat..?!) I know! This is book is full of revelation! I can't wait to read the rest of the book! This book is highly recommended!! :)

Jesus loves you!

Move out, Move on!

So I will be moving out of this on-campus apartment that I've been staying for almost 2 semesters to an apartment nearby with my brother. I am really excited about moving in with him but at the same time, I am starting to worry about the possibility of not getting along with my one and only brother. Maybe because of the things that he had done to me (not intentionally) when we were younger, which had hurt me, and had left scars in my heart. It was not something serious, really. He used to bully me a lot and put me into situation where my mom would punish or scold me. I hated that.

As I was watching Joyce Meyer's sermon on YouTube, God had reminded me of a few people in my life who need to know about God's hope and love. I would like to share what I have learnt from Him through that video and I hope you'd be blessed by this post. :)


"I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it." Philippians 3:14-16 (Message version)


Let me start this post by asking you these few questions:
Are you still talking or thinking about that past hurt even though it was like 5 years ago?
Have you been finding difficulties to move on to a happier life, though you've tried really hard?
Have you tried to change yourself outwardly hoping that the past won't haunt you anymore?

I understand that it is really difficult to let go of past hurts. Sometimes, it is as if letting go the past would mean that the other person wins-it-all or that you don't get justice! I think today, at this moment, God wants you to know that by letting go of the past hurting means that you believe there is so much more God could do through you.

God always wants to give us the best. He wants us to see that there is hope in Him! He wants us to know that if we put our hope in Him, He will not disappoint us! I think the devil is just jealous of us having that kind of victorious life in Jesus. So the devil is constantly reminding us about how people have hurt us and that we have to see them go through the same pain as us to get back "justice". But reality is, we don't need to worry about getting back to the people who have hurt us. God will do His part on judging them.

What I am trying to say here is not only to forgive those who have hurt you, but to move on in life. If we still allow these hurting to stay in us, we will not be able to focus on what God has prepared for us. We will lose track on the goal that we're heading to. The devil will distract us from getting closer to God with all sorts of ways. So, be alert and know that circumstances don't define who God is! God is still God. He is sovereign, He is good, He is holy, He is just.

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Let us put our past into a "box", seal it, and leave it to Jesus. It is time to move out of that hurt and move on to greater things that God has called us to do!

God bless you!

:)

Grace

I did not understand God's grace before I came to the States. I was told to be aware of "grace-preachers". I was afraid, miserable, and I made the same old mistakes over and over again each day. I was afraid that one day God would just struck me down and I wasn't sure if I could really make it to heaven. I was just so unsure about God even though I claimed to know and love Him.

What grace is all about? Is grace a license to sin?

I like how Ps. Buck said, "People don't need a license to sin, they sin anyway!"

I sang the song Amazing Grace in church, scriptures talk about grace, pastors used the word 'grace' in sermons, but really.. All my life, I had no understanding on God's grace or truly understand what grace is.

Now that I have understood God's grace and love, I want to let the whole world know about this wonderful God that I serve! I really believe that by understanding God's grace, everything would make much more sense. I am not good with using words to describe grace, so I shall share a few testimonies where I understood God's grace. (You could pick whichever one to read)

Testimony #1:
I used to think that the more I read the Bible, the more I attend church services, the more I serve the Lord, the more holy I will be and also get approval from God. I undermined God's love for me. As I understood God's grace,  I realized that God accepts me for who I am. I don't have to do all that for Him to love me more. If I do all the above, God loves me 100%. If I don't do all the above, God loves me 100% still. Jesus died on the cross for me so that when God sees me, He sees Jesus. A complete and perfect girl whether I serve Him or not. As long as I believe in Him, that's all I need to do.

But how can this be? Well, this is what grace is all about!

Testimony #2:
Without God's grace, I would still be having a "sin-consciousness" mind state. I would keep thinking about what I had done, which was ugly and sinful, in the past. I couldn't understand that God is for me. I couldn't understand that God is not here to condemn or to demand me to change immediately on the spot. When I understand God's grace, I see that God gives me all the time that I need to be better for His glory. He is not a pushy or annoying God. He is always waiting for me to turn to Him and to see His grace. I just stop focusing on my sins and look unto God and everything has changed to the better. :)

How did that work out for me? Well, that's what grace is all about!

Testimony #3:
As I understand grace, I could forgive and love others so easily. I realized I could forgive those who have hurt me without using so much effort. As I understand grace, I couldn't stop myself from loving God or to give up on God just like that. I may go through really tough times, but I could hang on to God without worrying whether God will let go of me or not. As I understand grace, I am very sure of my salvation. As I understand grace, I want to serve the Lord more! As I read the Bible, it's like as if God is revealing to me His grace and love more through the Bible. Which was something I did not realized back then. As I understand grace, I understand what Paul was trying to say in the Book of Romans. As I understand grace, joy fills my heart. Joy that surpasses all understanding. :)

How do I get to forgive, love, and be full of joy? Well, that is what God's grace could do!

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If you are still thinking, "Phoebe, I think all of the above are irrelevant to God's grace."

I want you to get these...

God is not mad at you,
God is for you,
God wants the best for you,
God loves you and He thinks you are awesome,
God knows you cannot do life on your own,
God wants to help you,
God wants to get you out of that mess,
God sees you as precious,
God thinks you are capable
and so much more.. !! :)

Jesus LOVES you!

Unending Love

"Many claim to have unfailing love, 

but a faithful person who can find?"

Proverbs 20:6 (NIV)

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Have you ever thought of how to keep a marriage secure and happily ever after just like every fairy tale? Have you ever thought of not making the same mistakes your parents make?

Well, I do. 

I have been thinking about all these recently. How can I know for sure that this or that guy is who God has intended for me to marry so that we could live happily ever after? Luke 16:10 kept appearing in my mind as I ponder upon all these confusing questions.

Luke 16:10 (NASB)

"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much."

As I was meditating on this verse, God put this thought into me - If a man could keep a small promise such as not having intercourse before marriage, he could definitely keep the big promise - the wedding vow! 

I think one of the ways for me to know that if a guy is "THE ONE" is by how he respects my body. God has given me this body to honor Him and glorify Him (1 Corinthians 1:19-20). If a guy loves God and knows how to value my body by not touching me inappropriately, then he is THE ONE. Sex is a beautiful gift that God has intended for married couples. It is not some cheap way of showing love. It is a powerful tool to bond a married couple together physically and emotionally. I understand that it is not easy at all to just say, "I do not want to have intercourse before marriage." In this society today, premarital sex seems like a normal thing to do. I used to think that in such a hopeless world, there will not be any guy who would willingly give up his sexual desires for God. But today, at this moment, I have good news for you! I want you to know that there is hope in Jesus. I want you to know that nothing is impossible with God. If you truly want a "happily-ever-after" marriage, if you are sick and tired of all the cheap relationships, I want to encourage you to surrender your love life to Jesus. 

"But Phoebe.. How do you know that God will take care of my love life?" 

Because I have been through all that and God has restored my heart and better still, God has provided me an awesome boyfriend who loves God with all his heart and makes sure that we will always be on the right track with God. ;) 

If God could turn my messy life into a beautiful one, I am so sure that God will make your life wonderful too, that is if you ARE WILLING to give God everything (including your love life).


*Let's not put our hope in humans that could fail us any time but put our hope and dreams unto Jesus who always wants the best for us in every thing that we do!

God bless you. :) 

p/s: I have a lot more thoughts and even tips for boy-girl relationship in my blog soon! :D 

Die To Self

John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease." (NASB)

I was watching "Laying Down Your Life" sermon by Dr. Creflo Dollar on YouTube and I realized that to say I love God is more than just an emotional feeling. John 3:30 said it clearly on what loving God means. It simply means that I must die to my own desires and live according to God's words. To die to self is an evidence to show that I truly love Jesus and that He lives in me.

Food for thought: What are some of the things that you really like to do that hinder you from going to God?

The videos below are part of Dollar's sermon that I like. Enjoy. :)