A.R.M.Y Youth Camp 2010

Good day soldiers in Christ! Today, I'm going to talk about my experience in the A.R.M.Y Youth Camp 2010!

You see, everything first started when a leader in my church (Iris) came and asked if I could be the Camp Commandant for the Youth Camp. Obviously, I was inexperienced and was afraid to take up the responsibility! But after a few minutes, I decided to take up the challenge because God had planted a desire in my heart to lead the youth!

Hence, I formed a team of ordinary and inexperienced people (Aaron, Jane, Huey Wern, Emma, CJ, Alicea, Jarren, Benji, Jojo, Nicholas, Jeremy, Declan, Karina, Ian Lo, and the leaders of course) and started several meetings to plan for the camp. Of course, we had a few leaders guiding us, they were (Ivan Teoh), (Pastor Melissa Chan), (Iris Dang) and (Wong Yew San)! They were the backbone of the entire camp, they made sure everything went well! What about me? Well, as the camp commandant I had the final say in plenty of things, so it was pretty cool haha...

Moving on, after months of planning we finally reached the camp itself! 16th December 2010 - 19th December 2010 was the days of the year! It was what we've all been waiting for! I wasn't nervous somehow because I knew that God was guiding the entire camp! We had 51 campers and they all come from different backgrounds! I made many friends there, and was able to meet our amazing speakers (Brother Yoshua Chan & his fiancée) as well as (Brother Philip)! God used them to plant a desire in my heart! Everybody experienced God through worship, games and it was just great!

And guess what? I joined the S.A.S group of the Lord's army! What's an S.A.S? They are the people who are ready to follow God whenever He calls them! They are the people who are willing to go anywhere for the sake of Him! I joined the S.A.S group with (Huey Wern), (Huey Lin), (Jazmin) and (Aaron). They came up for the S.A.S call, and we were filled with Holy Spirit as we made the ultimate decision to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow God! On that same morning, there was a double rainbow in the sky! God was telling me that I will remember this day forever and ever! Well, I'm really excited on what He has in stored for me! I will never look back at my decision, but will look forward and count on His blessings and provision!

If there's one thing I learned from the camp, is that God is real and He keeps His promises forever and ever! It doesn't matter what you're going through, He knows all your desires and needs even before you ask Him! He's the guy that we can all count on, no matter what we go through in our lives! Our God is big, so strong, so mighty!

I'm glad God guided me as the Camp Commandant in this camp! Just want to encourage you who is reading this, that God can use you in the same way He used me too! You just gotta let Him :)

Judges 6:14 says, "...Am I not sending you?"

- Cause the enemy has been defeated, and death couldn't hold Him down -

It's Time

Mark 8:34-35 says, "Then Jesus called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.' "

Matthew 19:29 says, "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first."

Do you love earthly things more than you love God? Are you willing to deny yourself? That you may no longer conform to the pattern of this world? To take up your cross and follow Jesus?

- It's time -

God Is So Big That He Can't Even Fit In The Heavens

Good day faithful soldiers of Christ! Today, I would like to talk about how big God is that He can't even fit in the heavens!

From the Bible, the book of 1 Kings 8:27 says, "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!"

You see, God is way bigger than all of humanity combined! Can you imagine, God is so big that all of us added up together still won't fit into heaven! Which is why in John 14:2-4 Jesus says, "My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."

The thing is, God wants to be close to you. God wants you to actually sense His presence in your life. God wants you to be amazed that the One who created the entire universe chose to have an intimate relationship with you! So how much more should we love Him and live in love?

Our God is big! So strong, so mighty! God is so big that He can't even fit in the heavens! Let us start this day onwards by letting God be the leader of our lives! All the way our savior leads us =)

God Uses Unlikely People To Achieve Unlikely Victories

Good day army of Christ! Today, I would like to let you know that God uses unlikely people to achieve unlikely people!

Have you heard of the story about David and Goliath?

From the Bible, the book of 1 Samuel 17 talks about how David triumph over Goliath!

David, the son of Jesse was a young boy who tends sheep. Meanwhile Goliath was a huge, closing to 10 feet tall Philistine warrior who makes everybody around him tremble!

Here is the story from 1 Samuel 17:

[The Philistines V.S Saul and the Israelites. Both armies camped at two valleys, where they would meet up and battle in the middle of it. Everyday, Goliath the Philistine warrior would walk up to his battle lines and shout at Saul and the Israelites, challenging them to bring out their best man to have a one-on-one duel with him. If he defeats that man, then Saul and the Israelites will be his subject. But if he is defeated by that man, then the Philistines will be the subject of Saul and the Israelites. Of course, Saul and the Israelites were both afraid of Goliath because they knew none of their elite soldiers could handle a duel with Goliath!

David overheard Goliath's mocking and started asking questions which let him to Saul. David told him not to fear because he himself will defeat the mighty Goliath! Obviously, Saul refuse to believe that because he is just a boy. But David explains to Saul that he has killed a lion and a bear while taking care of his herd of sheep, and Goliath is just another one of them he will handle.

Finally, he was sent to the front-line of the battlefield to meet up with Goliath and battle it out! Goliath who has a huge sword and thick armor looks at David and mocks him thinking that it's got to be the easiest fight he'll ever get! However, David - holding a sling and five stones in his pouch - tells Goliath that although Goliath comes with a sword and spear and javelin, he comes in the name of God which the Philistines has defied! Instantly, David ran forward and slung a stone towards Goliath's head which made him fell forward onto the ground, take out his sword and slashed off his head! The Philistines that trembled and retreated in fear.]

David knew that God was on his side! He knew that the Philistines has defied God and wants to show them that God is real! Hence, no matter how tall, huge or dangerous Goliath could be he went out to the battlefield and showed everybody who the real deal is! It was God who will determine the victory of battles, and he proved it by defeating Goliath which gained victory over the army of Philistine.

Sure, David was looked down by Goliath and even his brothers for even being there in the battlefield because of his size. But the fact is that David never bother to listen to their criticism, he was just busy doing what is right in the Lord's eyes - Not letting God's Name to be mocked, doing the right thing and fighting for God!

Here's an encouragement: What would you do if you heard someone mocking God? Would you be willing to stick your neck out for His Name and reputation? The next time you receive criticism for living by God's Word and doing what He tells you to do, you'll know that you're on the right track! The more criticism you get, the more it should motivate you to do the right thing!

You see, David was just a boy who tends sheep for his father. And in this story he suddenly became the champion who defeated a huge giant warrior in front of millions of soldiers! What an unlikely person to achieve and unlikely victory!

In conclusion, the next time you think as if you're not worth anything, remember this story and know that God uses unlikely people to achieve unlikely victories! =)

Faith

Dear mighty warriors of Christ! Today, I'm going to talk about faith!

What is faith?

- Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

- 1 Peter 1:21 says, "Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God."

- Ephesians 2:8 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this i not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - "

- Ephesians 3:12 says, "In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence."

- Galatians 2:21 says, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

People with this gift:

- believe the promises of God and inspire others to do the same.

- act in complete confidence of God's ability to overcome obstacles.

- demonstrates an attitude of trust in God's Will and His promises.

- advance the cause of Christ because they go forward when others not.

- ask God for what is needed and trust Him for His provision.

Bible verses about faith:

- Matthew 14:31 says, "Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught Him. "You of little faith," He said, "why did you doubt?" "

- Matthew 17:20 says, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

- Matthew 21:21 says, "Jesus replied, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what has done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done."

- Mark 11:24 says, "There I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

- Colossians 2:12 says, "having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through your faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead."

- 1 Corinthians 15:14 says, "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith."

- Galatians 5:6 says, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

- James 1:2-3 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance."

- James 2:26 says, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."

- James 5:15 says, "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven."

- Romans 14:1 says, "Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters."

- Malachi says, "I hate divorce, says the Lord God of Israel... So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith."

- 1 Peter 1:7 says, "These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

- 1 Peter 1:9 says, "for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

- 1 John 5:4 says, "for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."

Bible verses telling you to have faith:

- 1 Thessalonians 5:8 says, "But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet."

- Ephesians 6:16 says, "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

- 1 Peter 5:8-9 says, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings."

- 1 Corinthians 16:13 says, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong."

- 2 Corinthians 8:7 says, "But since you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you - see that you also excel in this grace of giving."

- 2 Peter 1:5 says, "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;"

- 1 Timothy 4:12 says, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."

- 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?"

- Hebrews 11:3 says, "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible."

- Hebrews 13:7 says, "Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith."

Have faith in God, not men:

- 1 Corinthians 2:5 says, "so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power."

Do you want to stand firm?

- 2 Corinthians 1:24 says, "...it is by faith you stand firm."

Wandering from the faith:

- 1 Timothy 6:10 says, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

- 1 Timothy 6:20-21 says, "...Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith."

Consequences of not having faith:

- Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Final Conclusion: Have faith!

- 1 Timothy 6:11-12 says, "But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

- 2 Timothy 2:22 says, "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."

- John 14:12 says, "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

- Galatians 3:11 says, "...the righteous will live by faith."

- 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "For we live by faith, not by sight."

- Mark 4:40 says, "...Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

- Mark 11:22 says, " "Have faith in God," Jesus answered."

My brothers and sisters in Christ, it's time to have faith in God! =)

- Have faith soldiers in Christ -

God Has Exercised Brutal Judgement Against Those Who Oppose Him

Good day lieutenants of Christ! Today I am going to remind you once again that God has exercised brutal judgement against those who oppose Him! But, what about it?

Have you heard the story about Ehud? Judges 3:12-30 talks all about it!

Well, Israel continued to sin against God, and was soon conquered by Eglon King of Moab. Eglon made them suffer under his power, and the Israelites once again cried out to God for help. So God sent Ehud to deliver Israel from the oppression, which Ehud killed Eglon and made peace for Israel the next 80 years!

Ehud was the person used by God to deliver Israel from the Moabites. And Eglon was the King of Moab, who oppressed Israel for 18 miserable years! However, he was assassinated by Ehud in his summer palace.

The Main Event:

How is it that, time and time again, the Israelites just didn't get it? God had been crystal clear: "Obey me and find blessing; turn away from me and find trouble."

Whatever the reason, the Israelites clearly did not listen. Once again they found themselves in a mess of their own making. In response to their evil actions, the Lord allowed the Moabites to ride into town and take control for 18 years! The result was nearly two decades of domination at the hands of King Eglon.

After considerable suffering, the Israelites finally came to their senses and turned back to God. His gracious response was to send a lefty named Ehud. This guy was all business. With the cunning of a secret agent and the steely nerves of a Navy SEAL, Ehud concocted and executed a daring plan!

Ehud was selected to deliver Israel's annual payment (called a "tribute") to the Moabites. After making the payment, he requested a meeting with Eglon, claiming to have a secret message for him. Little did the king know, Ehud was armed was dangerous. Being left-handed, Ehud had managed to conceal a dagger on the side where no one would have expected one to be. When the two men were alone in the king's private quarters, Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." With that, he whipped out the dagger and jammed it so hard and so far into Eglon's fat belly that the knife completely disappeared - the entire handle could not be seen either!

Quickly and quietly, Ehud took off. Gathering some fighters, he led the Israelites in a lightning strike against the occupation army. When the dust settled, the battlefield was littered with more than 10,000 bloody Moabite bodies. Israel was free again, and the people enjoyed peace for 80 years!

The Outcome:

This strange, bloody story reminds us that God can use us just the way we are! Being left-handed in Ehud's day was considered an oddity, if not an outright handicap! Supposedly lefties were at a huge disadvantage in military situations. Ehud could have bought into the conventional wisdom of his day and declared himself unable, unfit and unusable! Instead, when God called, Ehud answered. He made himself available to the Lord, and God used his so-called weakness to give Israel a great victory!

What about you? What weaknesses or quirks do you have? How might God use those for his glory? Are you willing to present yourself, just as you are, to God in order to accomplish his work?

My final question is are you with God, or against God?

Matthew 12:30 says, "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters". Jesus told this to the Pharisees when they were thinking evil thoughts about Jesus! Remember, God has exercised brutal judgement against those who oppose Him and when He returns once again from heaven we will all be judged according to everything we've said and done on earth! =)

God Can Make The Sun Stand Still

Good day armada of Christ! Today, I would like to tell you that God can make the sun stand still!

Have you heard the story about Joshua defeating the five kings of the Amorites with the help of the Lord? Joshua 10:1-15 talks about how Joshua defeated the five kings of the Amorites with God causing confusion within enemy troops, hurling hailstones down to enemy troops, and even making the sun stand still until the nation avenged itself on its enemies!

From the Bible, the book of Joshua 10:13 says, "So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies. as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day."

Imagine you're on a battlefield fighting for your life and some battle-ax or broadsword could take your head off at any second! Now imagine that the Lord steps in and fights your battle for you! Pretty cool, huh?

My point here is that God is so powerful that he can cause confusion within armies, hurl hailstones down from the skies, and even make the sun stand still! Yes, that's how mighty God is! These things clearly show you that God is a revolution God!

So the next time you're in a battlefield of emotions, or going through a really tough situation in your life, remember that God can cause miracles to arise from your life! If God can make the sun stand still, He can definitely do great things in your life =)

God Has None Of The Limitations Of A Human - Not Even One

Good day company of Christ! Today, I would like to talk about God who has none of the limitations of a human - Not even one =)

From the Bible, the book of Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change his mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?"

You see, in the Bible whenever God promises something, it always come true! For example, when Mary and Joseph were hoping for a baby, God sent His angels to tell them that Mary would bear a child, but of course it wasn't easy for Mary to believe God as she was already past her age to get pregnant, adding to the fact that she is barren. But when that time came, and she bore a child - Jesus - the only thing she could think of was that her dreams came true! God's promise was real! Another example was when the Israelites were fleeing from the Egyptians and Pharaoh's army. God promised them that He would take care of them, and guess what? God secured a road ahead for them, gave them a pillar of cloud and pillar of fire so that they could travel both day or night, gave them food to eat, and even protected them from Pharaoh's army as He swiped the army out into the sea! These are just 2 examples out of the entire Bible, so shouldn't we trust God more when we know His promises are forever true?

You see, God's love and promises reigns through generations to generations, and we on the other hand have the decision to choose whether to hold on to the promise He has given us - Living eternally with Him - or to disregard it as just another fairytale. The thing about God is that He can do anything He wants, and nothing in this world can limit Him at all! The smartest and wisest men on earth may claim that they know everything and most probably anything! But they cannot be compared to God, because wisdom and knowledge comes from God!

From the Bible, the book of Isaiah 40:28-31 says, "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fail; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Yes, you've read it right! The Lord is everlasting! He created the world from point blank, and He also created us! And one of the most amazing thing is that we will persevere and our strength will be renewed when we put our hope in the Lord!

Ever get tired of saying no when everyone else seems to be saying yes? Ever get tired of trusting God when everything seems to go wrong? Don't throw your commitment away just because life gets difficult. Ask God to give you the strength you need to stay faithful to Him! Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord =)

Because He is God, He is not limited by human needs, impulses and weaknesses. He won't feed you lies just to make you feel good. He will never fail to keep His word when He promise to do something for you! Let Him show you what a perfect friendship can be like =)

Remember, God has none of the limitations of a human - not even one! Luke 18:27 says that "What is impossible with men is possible with God!" =)

All the best in your journey of life my brothers and sisters in Christ!

- When all else fails, God doesn't -