To dare to ask

Scripture
39 Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew." 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

Observation
Gideon tested Gods' twice with the fleece. On both occasion, God was patient and answered Him. To many, it seems that Gideon lack faith/trust in God. This is very true. Nevertheless, one thing that interest me more is HIS COURAGE in asking God not only once, but twice so that he can rest assured Gods' promise will come to pass.

Application
God is secure and patient. He knows us inside out. He wants us to challenge him and not just remain on the passive side. I begin to realise that God wants us to "test" Him, not for the sake of proving His greatness but for our sake. God knows our faithlessness and he loves it when we dare to step out in faith to ask for more.
If we are too afraid to "ask" of Him, I see this as a passive relationship, not a two-way relationship.

I want to be truthful, to grow in my relationship with my Father. I want to know Him through asking Him what I desire in my heart. Fear in a relationship means that love has not mature. Where there is love, there is no fear.

Prayer
Lord God, thank you for opening my eyes once more. Yes, I desire to know you more, to see your promises come true.

Loving you,
Doreen C.

Let Go and Let God to the rest.....

Scripture
11"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. Luke 8:11-15

Observation
To those who have ears, let them hear. To those who have eyes, let them see. Jesus taught the story about the seeds and here, we see Him explaining the parables to those whose hearts are ready to "listen". :)

Sometimes, I can't but wonder that I may have actually fall under the above "bold" category. I wonder why do I allow worries to overwhelm me. As I was ready the whole chapter, I began to realise one thing. If I do not release my worries to Him, He will not be able to have His ways in my life. For me to worry means that Ive forgotten that God cares more about me. I believe that Ive forgotten the BIG pic and instead, focus on the micro level. To live by faith and not by sight.


Application
- To understand that God values about me and what I desires in my heart more than myself. I am to let go and make it his problem. If God has placed me in this situation, He better make a way. This means that I am not going to be the one who mess His ways.

Prayer
Father, I surrender this relationship to you. I believe you have indeed answer my prayer from Day One and I know deeply that Ive consulted you in the beginning. I am going to continue to trust in you. It is your problem too, not mine alone. Father, give me eyes of faith to see as you do. FAther, I am willing to obey you. Anything that distract me from your truth, I cast it away from me right now. I cast away fears and doubts. I want to obey you, trust and believe in you. You lead and make the way for us.

Loving you,
Your one and only dearest.....

God's love overshadow all things

Scripture
1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing: 1 Ezra:1

Observation
This is the first few sentences for this book. Gods' people are brought to a foreign land by Babylonian. They were in exile. Babylon was then conquered by Persia. As we all know, Jeremiah (the weeping prophet) prophesised on Gods' judgment on His people. True to His words, God fulfilled the word spoken by Jeremiah.

I am amazed. God can use a pagan to fulfill his promises. Indeed, nothing/no one can stop God from fulfilling His promises. God can even tame our "enemies" so that His will shall be fulfilled. This means that nothing I do or not do, will stop His will from moving forward. A lot of times is either we are on it, or we are not. It's either we are on board with Him, or we are clearly distracted by other unimportant matters.

What truly draw my attention nowadays?
Am I jealously guarding my time/moments spend with my Lord?
Do I yearn for Him like how Mary did before?


Application
I know that I am not there yet. Yet, I know I'm not far behind. Anyway, what is the point of comparing whichever level that I am in. God loves me, all of me. I believe Gods' promises far supersede my In-actions. :)

Prayer
Lord God, if you can move the hearts of those who does not know you, the mountains, the seas, the flames, the winds, how much more is your undying love for me. Father, I want to be on your side, to work alongside you. :) Father, please open my eyes to see from your perspective, to stand firm/blossom from inside out and not vice versa. :)

Loving you,
dory

mochi mochi.. blaph blaph

dear God,

I'm feeling blue today. It is a choice to follow you, my shepherd. Though my future seems bleak sometimes, Ive only you to hold on. There is so many uncertainties yet I trust that you have already predestined my future for me. :)

Jesus,

Thank you for affirming me. Thank you for reminding me that all things are beautiful according to your timing. Jesus, I trust that you are true to your promises. Indeed, you are. :)

Loving you,
Dory

Create in me a new heart

Lord Father Abba,

Create in me a new heart. A heart that yearns for you only. Let every heart beat of mine be for you only. Lord Abba, there is NONE like you. Give me an undivided heart, this I ask of you. Father, begin to open my eyes to "see", open my ears to hear you, distill my thoughts for you, Abba. Let my gaze not go beyond you but let me place my focus onto you only.

Father, purify my hearts, thoughts and minds. Let me not go too far from you. Father, I thank you for you are merciful, full of compassion and abounding in love. Let me live not in fear but let me live in the freedom that you know what is best for me. Father, all the days of my life, teach, guide, train, protect and mentor me. You are my Everlasting Father, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God and Prince of Peace.

Father, let me live each day in remembrance of your grace and love....

Loving you,
Ur daughter..

Turning Point

Was awaken by the alarm. Have I truly rested, I wonder sometimes. Another day, another week. So much grace is given just to live one more day. Do I cherish this grace? Yes, I do. :)

My heart was troubled this morning. I prayed for clarity and direction. I pray for the truth of the matter to be revealed to me. I pray for His will to be done in my life, and not mine to begin with. Pages from the book of Isaiah came to mind. The messages are hardcore. It revealed the hearts of idolatry by the people of God. It shows that God is a merciful God. He directs us in all the ways but if we choose to go our own way, He will let it be. Imagine having to start the day with these messages. I began to pray for God to reveal the "hidden things" in my heart. My blind spot.

God is good. HE is the revealer of all truth. :) I choose to let Him have His ways in my life and the truth is revealed to me. Just like how Isaiah fell down to his knees and thank you God for cleansing his "sins", I humbly repent of my "sin". And you know what, God is a God of second chance. I was given this 2nd chance to return to Him. I love Him wholeheartedly. :)

Father, I thank you for your grace and love. I thank you that you know what is best for me. Just like Isaiah, I will follow you, desire you with all my heart. Thank you for revealing the hidden things in my heart. Only you can do that. Thank you, my best friend, Holy Spirit for being here with me all the time.

Yes, I will obey and turn a new leaf.

New adventure, here I come. :) Amen!!! :)

Loving you, Papa,
Dory

To Stand Apart from the ways of the world

Scripture
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Daniel 1:8

Observation
Daniel was among the Israelites who were brought as exile to Babylon. Although he was surrounded and most likely be influenced by the Babylonians cultures and lifestyles, he remains strong in his identity as a true worshipper of the ONE true God. He chose not to defile himself by eating the royal food, which may be ceremonially slaughter through the Babylonians' customs.

I am truly amazed by his strong conviction that he had. He love God more than the fear of men. He stayed through to his identity as God child instead of following the ways of the crowd. As a result of his conviction, many others follow through as well. I can also see that when he place God first, Gods' favour is upon him and his friends.

Application
- I need to revisit my identity
- I will be bold and strong
- I will do what is pleasing to His eyes.

Prayer
Lord God, just like Daniel, I want to make a choice to honour you above myself. I do not want to be following what others are doing but I want to follow your ways. I do this because I love you, not because it is a law that you set. Father, give me the strength to hold on to this. :)

Loving you always,
Doreen C.

Desires of my Heart

O Lord, I pray for this, give me a desire to be close to you each day. Father, I pray to know you more and more each day. Give me this desire to love amd cherish you. Give me the understanding to know that I don't have to be perfect all the time and that you still love me even when I fall.

Father, give me grace to live each day meaningfully. To know that I can only be me, Doreen Chew and noone else. To know that you love me inside out. To know that you love EVERYTHING about me just as you say,"

All beautiful you are, my darling;
there is no flaw in you. " Song of songs 4:7

Let me know this in my heart. Let it be true to the core. Let this new found love deepens deep within my soul.

Loving you always,
Your one and only

Aging Gracefully..:)

Another year passed. Ive turned 30. With so many unfulfilled dreams and desires, I felt as if I'm on the edge. I know deep within I am not satisfied with the things around me. I wonder why, sometimes.

There are so many things that I want to achieve. Yes, I am an achiever. I was not like this 10 years ago but after knowing the true creator, it became clear to me, why I am here for. I was lost but now, I am found. Yet, this clarity requires faith. Hence, this scripture that Ive always keep with me,"To Live by faith and not by sight" 2 Corinthians 5:7.

Ive capture just a glimpse of the "clarity". The clarity to build the dance ministry. The clarity of seeing "arrows" shooting out of Melbourne to SE and globally. Ive kept this in my heart since Oct 2002.

The year is 8th September 2009. As I looked through the years that Ive lived, I truly have to say that Ive not wasted my time since Ive accepted Christ, my Lord back in 28th May 2001. Indeed, knowing Him will always be the best thing in my life. No amount of joy or sufferings will ever substitute this relationship. Even if I am to die tomorrow, I know that Ive lived to please Him and follow His ways. I shall die with no regrets.

What will the next 30 years of my life, looks like?
- I would still be dancing and painting
- I would be having an army of God-fearing children & great-grandchildren around me (both biological & within the global community "
- I would have passed the baton of what God has called me to do
- I would have seen many of my "children & great-grandchildren" worshipping the Lord with all their might, soul and heart
- I would have travelled to Israel and all around the world
- I would have my beloved, families and awesome friends/buddies around me
- I would still be learning from both the young and old
- I would be "rich" in the Lord
- I would be joyful
- I would be at peace
- I would have cultivating the art of "Be Still and Know that I AM the LORD"
- I would be "myself"
- The ZEAL of the Lord would still burn WITHIN ME...:)

I desire mercy, not sacrifice

Scripture

10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, [a] you are set free from your infirmity." 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. Luke 13

Observation
Jesus healed this woman in front of the whole congregation on Sabbath day. According to the Jewish tradition, they are not suppose to do things that constituted as "work". This is the date that is consecrated for the Lord and any form of "work" is deemed to be against the law of Sabbath. Without fear, Jesus healed the woman. Jesus was the creator of the Law and he knows the hearts of the Pharisees. He knew their outward "faithfulness" for all to see, but internally, they were corrupted.

Jesus healed the woman to expose the "stupidity" of keeping the law over the act of grace-giving. Here, I noticed Jesus' character. He loves mercy, not sacrifice. He loves all of us and accept our "blemishes". Jesus did not expect us to be pure and holy outwardly but to be internally. He comes to re-deemed us and free us from our bondages/sins. Jesus desires out internal heart to be strong. He desires mercy, not plain law-abiding children.

Application
- What does it take to accept someone where they are at? For us to nag and point finger at their weaknesses, will it truly help them in the long-run? Or does love and mercy truly wins the heart of one soul for the long run?

To place law only works outwardly and for the short-run.
To love with patience and mercy leads to us winning the heart of any souls and thus, freeing them from their bondages.

Prayer
Lord God, thank you for this clarity. Thank you for showing me, your true nature. Indeed, I want to be beautiful inside out. I want to be like you one step at a time. I know that I'm not there yet, and I do not want to push myself without understanding you thoroughly. Father, I pray for understanding, wisdom, strength, joy, peace and patience. Give me a desire for you that I never know of.

Loving you, Papa,
Doremi