๑۩۞۩๑ 自由在我以为的自由 ☆╮: Inspirational Words

promise

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 03:44:28 GMT

No one can promise they’ll never hurt you, because at one time or another they will. The real promise is if the time you spent together will be worth the pain in the end.

"Never Lose Your Cool"

Sat, 05 May 2007 09:26:10 GMT

You should never lose your cool UNLESS it's an act. If you're acting that you're angry because you wanna scare your employees or you wanna get them to work harder. Never lose your cool unless you have a reason for doing so.

~ Donald Trump, Apprentice Season 2 Episode 11

are we ready?

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 14:29:42 GMT

So i admit, my mind does wonder around in church sometimes thus making me hear only bit & pieces of the really short message the speaker said. However, the message the speaker said today is simple & well, already known to many of us, but it really gives me the impact.

Just last week, the speaker searched about these facts on the net, and a lot of economists said that there'll gonna be an economic crisis in the near future. Why? Because of the oil crisis the world's gonna have. According to research, more than 90% of the oil field in the world has been exploid, and within 3 years, the price of oil in the Middle East is gonna go sky-high.... And aparrently within the priod of now - 2030, the whole world's gonna run out of oil, completely. Serious!

The first thing that comes to my mind is: OMG, without oil, the planes can't fly.. I just wish i'll be back home in Malaysia by then.. I don't wanna be stuck middle of somewhere in the world & can't go home~~ *ok, I think too far & i think too much*

Anyway, he said that it's just like the oil crisis, the church is going through an oil crisis as well. Remember the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom with oil middle of the night. They waited so long for the bridegroom to come and when he came, the five foolish ones ran out of oil & missed the banquet.

The message is so simple: Are we ready? Are we close enough to the Lord that we can hear His heartbeat, know His feeling, & hear His voice?

I know, I'm not there yet... But I know I will, i don't want to miss the banquet.

Daniel among the Babylonians

Wed, 31 May 2006 06:40:15 GMT

John 1:14~17
Jesus says that we are not of the world, so we don't embrace the system of pride, greed, envy, violence, laziness, lust & gluttony - the 7 deadly sins.
We don't have the spirit of the world.
Yet Jesus prayed to God, not to take us out of this world, just protect us from the evil, for as long as we are in the world, we will be the light and salt of the world.

How can we be in the world yet not of the world?
We mingle with the world yet our attitude & values are different from them.

Matt 5:13~16
Salt penetrates & dissolves into whatever it touches.
* Jesus wants us to be the salt & the light, to engage & penetrate through the society, not to avoid the society. If we don't engage, we become irrelevant, obsolete & useless.

How should we as Christians react to things like Da Vinci Code, Harry Potter & all that opposes the word of God? Why do God put the tree of knowledge of good & evil right in the centre of Garden of Eden & yet wants Adam to take care of it but not to eat it? Why didn't God just chop the tree off?
Because to God, INNOCENCE is not VIRTUE.

A lot of people thinks that as long we are not expose to evil things, and stay innocence, you are holy. NO~

virtue = ~~innocence~~
virtue= innocence TESTED!!

Virtue is your ability to do the work of God.
Jesus has virtue because he was being tested in the wilderness & didn't give in.
When you are tested but not tempted, you have the power over it.
If we develop holiness in innocence, we do not develop spiritual muscle power.

God plunges us into society which is made up of:
1.Religion
2.Family
3.Business
4.Education
5.Government
6.Arts
7.Media
(3--> 7 = the marketplace)

We are called to be the Daniel in the marketplace.

Daniel is a person with extraordinary righteousness.
Daniel 5:11
Holiness is not how you dress & what you read. Holiness is the attitude in your heart.
Daniel 1:17
They lived among the evils, in Babylon - the mother of all corruption.

Daniel was well-trained in the expertise of the Babylonians, he knows well about their practices & so well, he's been made the chief of all magicians.
He was tested yet he remained righteous, holy & faithful to God. He was the man of the word, man the prayer & fasting, and he knows well of the Holy Spirit.

Be a real person in the world! Be real of the part you're playing, you have to be baptise in the culture God planted you i n& shine for the Lord as you excel in it. Do not masquerade & try to pretend. For if you do so, you are neither here nor there!

Daniel 5:12
Daniel excelled for he has an excellent spirit - attitude of excellence.
Excellence = attention to DETAILS that give rise to SUPERIOR performance which leads to PROMOTION in life.

Details lead to destiny!

Promotion doesn't come to people without a spirit of excellence.

Belteshazaar - Bel (god of the Babylonians) will protect his life.
Daniel was so into his work, that he doesn't mind having a different name, a Babylonian name.
His 3 friends : Shadrach = "Moon god"

Meshach = "Like the moon god"

Abednego ="servent of the god Nego"
All four Hebrew children did not compromise their faith though they are in the world.

Romans 14:1~2
The one who is strong in faith will be able to embrace & accept many things, knowing that holiness is an attitude & spirit of God that you carry inside.

Daniel understood one thing:

the MESSAGE may be sacred

but the PACKAGING is not!

There may be 2 kind of extreme in Christians: Legalism (eg. Pharisee) & Licentious
We do not want to be in either extreme. We want to be in the middle, like Daniel~

Choices

Mon, 22 May 2006 16:45:53 GMT

AUDIO SERMON DOWNLOAD

There's a lot of decisions ought to be made everyday. Our life's filled with choices.

God makes sure that we live in a world whereby our freewill is regularly tested, so that we can choose whether to obey God. He would not force us to love Him, He wants us to choose.

We could not determine what will happen to us but we can determine how we respond when it happen, it is our choice.

Genesis 2:15~17 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to ear from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

God gave Adam the freedom & authority to all trees in the Garden of Eden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam had the choice but he made the wrong choice!

There are things in life that we must make our own choices:-

1. LOVE is a choice

1 John 2:10-11 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates is brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

When you love your brother, you will be in the light, everyone can see you.

We could not love someone on your behalf; it's your own choice.

To love exposes us to the risk of rejection, to love is to prepare to give everything you have, to give without expectation.

It's very hard to do but God did it. God gave His only Son to die on the cross for us because He chose to love us; he was prepared to take the risk of rejection. Jesus died on the cross before we love Him.

Anyhow, we cannot love until we can forgive. Forgiving is also a choice. We can choose not to forgive but we will bear grudges for the rest of our lives, and it will turn bitter, and eventually it turns into hatred and we will want to kill. We might not kill physically but we always do it mentally.

To love is to be honest with who you are, to be transparent, to be open. It's a sacrifice.

You are nothing if you have everything in the world but could not love.

To love is to let go of your pride.

1 Corinthians 13

2. HOPE is a choice

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.Hope is an important thing in our life.

When you have hope, it releases energy for us to go on with our life.

Mental health is to have hope in mind and not despair. A mind that is becoming negative is a mind that is becoming sick.

Put our hope in Jesus. The power of God that dwells in us enables us to think positively of our future.

We will have a good future because we have Jesus. Our hope is not only IN Jesus, our hope IS Jesus.

“My future is one of hope.” Is a statement of faith in Christ.

3. LIFESTYLE is a choice

Luke 9:23 ..."If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Jesus said “if” not “when”, he gave us a choice. If you choose to follow Him, you'll have to deny yourself. To deny yourself means to let go of your right.

God gave us liberty but liberty is not licentiousness (doing whatever you want, whenever you like).

In the choices of lifestyle you make, do not cause your brother to stumble.

God births us into spiritual son-ship. The spirit of god guides us, and if you're mature enough, youll know what the right thing to be done is.

If you could not cope with a certain lifestyle, stay away from it!!

4. To have FAITH is a choice

Hebrews 11

Without faith, it is impossible to please God

v5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God has taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.

v7 By faith Noah...

v8 By faith Abraham...

v21 By faith Jacob...

Your faith determines your walk with God.

Henry Ford said, “Whatever you think you can or can't, you are usually right.”

Faith is the eye that sees invisible, ear that hears what others don't & hand that touches the intangible.

“When the storm of life strikes, it is what in you that determine what happens to you.”

“Fear is the reverse gear of faith.”

“Dark comes when consider circumstances, faith comes when consider Jesus.”

“A little faith brings your soul to heaven but great faith brings heaven to your soul.”

Discipleship

Sun, 21 May 2006 15:22:29 GMT

AUDIO SERMON DOWNLOAD

Life is all about competition and battles. Everything we think of when we wake up are about choices.

Thinking of the first thing to do when we wake up - competition of focus, thinking of what to eat in mamak stall - competition of appetite, thinking of to listen to God or peers - competition of influence...

All the decision we make today eventually forms habit, and repetition of habit becomes a character. The corporate character in a community is a culture.

How should we know what is the right choice to make? How do we form right habits, and to have right character & culture?

The answer is EDUCATION.

Education:

~ Formal education

~ Spiritual education

1. Formal education:

Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.

The fool will think that they're right at all times but people who will want to learn is wise.

Formal education eradicates physical & mental poverty.

Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

Proverbs 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

A poor person became poor in the first place because he refused to learn.

Knowledge is power.

Just like Jesus' primary focus is to teach, not to feed.

Proverbs 10:17 He who heeds discipline shows the way of life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

If you do not learn, you will be lost.

2. Spiritual/Lifestyle education:

Matthew 4:17~18

Spiritual education (discipleship) is a life-long, on going process of learning.

Spiritual education eradicates moral depravity & emotional poverty.

Jesus' priority is discipleship.

One of the former presidents of America once said, “Educating the logical mind and not the moral self is creating manners to the society.”

If people do not have spiritual education, they will still be lost. Therefore, teaching the head will not heal the heart.

We must choose to be disciple, in order that we are in the right track, before successful gets into our heart.

Discipleship is very important. But then it's not about the teacher but it's all about the student. There will not be leadership if there is no follower-ship.

We can't outgrow in discipleship, for there is no stop in learning. Even if someday you became a cell group leader, we can still choose to be disciple by your ex-cell group leader.

Once a teacher, forever a teacher.

Matthew 10:24-25a "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.."

The Bible didn't ask us to outgrow our teacher. It is enough for us to be like our teacher.

On top of learning, there is still honor, integrity and dignity.

Discipleship is not seasonal, nor is it a program.

4 KEYS to successful ‘follower-ship’:

Willingness to CHANGE

Matthew 4:20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

Simon & Andrew immediately left their net when they were called.

To be a disciple, we must be willing to abandon our past achievement.

Yesterday's achievement is today's mediocrity.

We have to admit that our past will not be as good as out future that God will provide to us.

Willingness to FOLLOW

Active following is obedience in action. You can't just say that you'll do it but not show it in action.

When you follow Jesus, you'll experience great & amazing things in your life.

Anyhow, do not ever think that you are more spiritual than every other man & you could not be disciple by men but to God himself. You can't follow God if you can't follow a teacher!

Willingness to LEARN

Make room to touch & be touch by God

Willingness to PARTICIPATE

Matthew 10:1 He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

v.5 These twelve Jesus sent out....

We must participate after we follow & learn!!

名牌

Fri, 05 May 2006 17:34:12 GMT

看到一个文章说：人不用麻木追求名牌，因为每一个人都已经是一个名牌。。。

正如陈一平牧师说： " We all have great personalities, for we are wonderfully made in the image of God..."

10 Guidelines from God

Fri, 05 May 2006 07:29:19 GMT

Effective Immediately, please be aware that there are changes YOU need to make in YOUR life.

These changes need to be completed in order that I may fulfill My promises to you to grant you peace, joy and happiness in this life. I apologize for any inconvenience, but after all that I am doing, this seems very little to ask of you. Please, follow these 10 guidelines

1. QUIT WORRYING:
Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?

2. PUT IT ON THE LIST:
Something needs done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can't help you until you turn it over to Me. And although My to-do-list is long, I am after all... God. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.

3. TRUST ME:
Once you've given your burdens to Me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in Me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and your trials. Problems with the kids? Put them on My list. Problem with finances? Put it on My list. Problems with your emotional roller coaster ? For My sake, put it on My list. I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.

4. LEAVE IT ALONE:

Don't wake up one morning and say, "Well, I'm feeling much stronger now, I think I can handle it from here." Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It's simple. You gave me your burdens and I'm taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don't you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started? Leave them with Me and forget about them. Just let Me do my job.

5. TALK TO ME:
I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I'm in control. But there's one thing I pray you never forget. Please, don't forget to talk to Me - OFTEN! I love YOU!. I want to hear your voice. I want you to include Me in on the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with Me. I want to be your dearest friend.

6. HAVE FAITH:
I see a lot of things from up here that you can't see from where you are. Have faith in Me that I know what I'm doing. Trust Me; you wouldn't want the view from My eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?

7. SHARE:
You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven't heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none.

8. BE PATIENT:

I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes Me a little longer than you expect to handle something on My to-do-list? Trust in My timing, for My timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire Universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.

9. BE KIND:
Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for My sake. I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please, know I love each of your differences.

10. LOVE YOURSELF:
As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only -- to be loved, and to love in return. I am a God of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes My heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me.

Don't ever forget......

Never be to quick to judge

Tue, 02 May 2006 14:19:34 GMT

A wise person once told me, “Never be quick to judge whether something is a blessing or a curse.” The story of Naomi reminds me of this.

The name Naomi means “my delight.” But when bad things happened to her, Naomi wanted to change her name to match her circumstances. After her husband and sons died, Naomi concluded, “The hand of the Lord has gone out against me!” (Ruth 1:13). When people greeted her, she said, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (v.20).

Rather than judge her circumstances in light of her identity as a follower of the one true God who had proclaimed unfailing love for His people, Naomi did what most of us tend to do: She judged God in light of her circumstances. And she judged wrongly. The hand of the Lord had not gone out against her. In fact, Naomi had a God-given treasure she had not yet discovered. Although Naomi lost her husband and two sons, she was given something totally unexpected—a devoted daughter-in-law and a grandchild who would be in the lineage of the Messiah.

As Naomi’s life shows us, sometimes the worst thing that happens to us can open the door for the best that God has to give us. —Julie Ackerman Link

problem = attitude

Mon, 01 May 2006 15:10:47 GMT

" The problem to any problem, is the attitude you choose to face the problem...

If we face any problem optimistically, every problem will have its solution & its lesson, to let us grow.

If we face problems pessimistically, we will only think of failure & we will never see the meaning of it."

~ Ps Tan Ye Peng

Reason, Season, Lifetime..

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 17:07:39 GMT

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have
expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotion there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

*
Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

*
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

*

Thank you for being a part of my life, whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

quotes of life

Mon, 07 Nov 2005 17:15:07 GMT

人生之课

人生最重要的是学会如何施爱于人，并去接受爱。

爱是唯一的理性行为。

相爱，或者死亡。

没有了爱，我们变成了折断翅膀的小鸟。

在这个社会，人与人之间产生一种爱的关系是十分重要的，因为我们文化中的很大一部分并没有给予你这种东西。

要有同情心，要有责任感。只要我们学会了这两点，这个社会就会美好得多。

给予他们你应该给予的东西。

把自己奉献给爱，把自己奉献给社会，把自己奉献给能给予你目标和意义的创造。

如果你想对社会的上层炫耀自己，那就打消这个念头，他们照样看不起你。如果你想对社会底层炫耀自己，也请打消这个念头，他们只会嫉妒你。身份和地位往往使你无所适从，唯有一颗坦诚的心方能使你悠悠然的面对整个社会。

《相约星期二》Tuesday With Morrie by Mitch Albom

"I would not Quit"

Fri, 30 Sep 2005 16:22:19 GMT

One day I decided to quit...
I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality...
I wanted to quit my life.
I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.
"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"

His answer surprised me...

"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"
"Yes", I replied.
"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.
I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth.
Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed.
But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said.
"In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit.
In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. "I would not quit." He said.
"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth.

Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant...
But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.
It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.

I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle."
He said to me. "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots"
"I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you."
"Don't compare yourself to others." He said. "The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet, they both make the forest beautiful."

"Your time will come", God said to me. "You will rise high!"
"How high should I rise?" I asked.
"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.
"As high as it can?" I questioned.
"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."
I left the forest and bring back this story.

~ copied from mail..

Inspirational Words by Woodrow Kroll

Tue, 20 Sep 2005 15:16:45 GMT

God answers our prayers solely on the basis of what Jesus accomplished on our behalf at Calvary.

"Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God throuh our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

Romans 5:1-2

vessels of honor

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 17:13:00 GMT

Inspirational words by Woodrow Kroll

If you don't teach your children your value system, there is someone waiting outside your door who is eager to teach them theirs.

" 'You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.' "

Deuteronomy 6:7

vessel of honor

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 13:35:28 GMT

Inspirational Words from Woodrow Kroll

Real prayer is not so much asking and receiving as it is communing and adjusting -- communing with our Heavenly Father and adjusting ourselves to His will.

" 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' "

Matthew 6:10