You are my strength
Strength like no other
Strength like no other
Reaches to me
You are my hope
Hope like no other
Hope like no other
Reaches to me
In the fullness of Your grace
In the power of Your Name
You lift me up
You lift me up
Unfailing love
Stronger than mountains
Deeper than oceans
Reaches to me
Your love O Lord
Reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness
Reaches to the skies
---
And so it was, that this week after X-Factor ended was not an easy week.
I praise God though, because I am reminded once again of a truth I have learnt, that it is before the toughest times, it is before the people of God really move, that Satan will try to come and bring us down, so PRAISE GOD!!
In all honesty, things have been happening. Quite a number of stuff, some that only a few people know, some that no one knows at all, and it just came to a point that I realised yesterday night that I can't do it anymore. Especially seeing as I just received this new 'challenge', I feel overwhelmed.
But THANK GOD for the timing of this challenge. Because it reminded me that it is really time to rise up, its really time to trust God through all circumstances and KNOW that God will provide. Jehovah Jireh.
So in this one week, followed by the 6 months, and even beyond that, if there is but one thing im gonna apply, its this truth that we all have heard all so often and even mentioned by Si Er just yesterday and found in today's I cant remember ODB or ODJ, but in the midst of trials we seem to forget.
In 2 Corinthians 12. Taken from verses 9 and 10. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." How many times do we forget about this. "For when I am weak, then I am strong." How many times do we not depend on God's grace, God's strength, God's power, God's provision.
So this morning, I was really tired, but when I stepped into the Church and Si Er and JinHang were just worshiping and singing 'come holy spirit', I felt that perhaps today enough is enough, and today I just want to connect with God, to ask him for his grace and his strength to bring me through it all.
And somehow by now I can't even remember the proper sequence of events already but I know that the worship was just wonderful and I could really feel the presence of God in the place resting upon me, and before the sermon even started even during the Holy Communion, I was already so touched by God.
And I typed out on my handphone (because that is what I do when I dont want to forget something), "Lord, I want nothing but you. Less of me, more of you. I need nothing but you alone." And I know, even if the entire world falls apart and I am left with nothing but God, He is all I need.
There is a common underlying message in both Le Fa and Pearl's testimonies today. And that is to just trust in God, that it is not by my own strength that I can do things, but it is by trusting God. And today, I decided, I'm gonna trust God all the way.
And I just said, help me God, to remember all the times you were there with me, to remember all those prayers I cried out to you, help me to remember all that you have spoken to me.
And I thank God that just now before I came online even as I spent some quiet time with God, like those times that I feel so lost in his presence that I wanted so desperately to happen again, he came, and he was there with me. Interesting that Weiyang was just telling me about something like this yesterday night.
And I thank God for the message by Dean. I'll be honest, I used to think pastor Raymond and Dean were 'boring' (eh heh sorry) but I have really really learnt so much from them in the past few times they spoke and I do realise that the message they bring is really gold. SO TO YOU ALL SLEEPYHEADS, STAY AWAKE COZ YOU'RE MISSING OUT ^^.
I realised that some of us in DI have this thing when it comes to altar calls. One go, all go, one don't go, all don't go. Well today, that kinda happened to me, no one in my row was moving so I didn't move either, but I knew that God was really speaking to me today, so I thank God that I just stopped thinking so much and just moved my legs to respond to the call.
And I know God hears me. So through it all, I will trust in the living God.
Two things I really took away from the message today. First one is about love. And its something that I was just talking to Bynes about I think 2 days ago. And I know I can. Because God's grace is enough. I feel that deep in my heart today, I loved God, but not enough. So today, the beginning of this wonderful journey, I'm gonna press on. And God will be with me all the way, changing me, molding me, helping me conform to the image of Christ.
And the other thing. Though I come broken, though I come empty, though I come with so little, even if im not where I need to be right now, God meets me and just where I am, and he brings me to where he meant for me to be.
Jon Acuff, writer of SCL, often talks about the grace of God, probably because he is one person who really went to the deep down into the depths and experienced God there lifting him up. And I was just reminded of a few things he said. Coming before the Lord, just as we are, with our broken bowls. And about the last supper, the 9 words that changed his life. Go read about that if you havn't I believe I posted it just a few posts down, it was after the camp I think.
I realised today, that if I think I have done much, I think that I have lived much, I think that I have experienced much, then, I have not seen anything. I have not really seen the true power of God.
And so, I will focus. Not on my circumstances, not on the things that troubles me, not on the things that weigh me down, but to focus on God, to focus on the core things that he has called us to do. And I know that God will make a way.
So this life, all that I am, I give it to the Lord. 'Tear Down The Walls' does envision what I want to be.
Meanwhile, I'm gonna need extra grace this week as I embark on the 'first week' of the journey of faith which is more hiong because of certain reasons that I won't elaborate upon here. And also because of the fact that I've conviniently forgotten to do the Imagine X-Factor Video the past few days ehheh and im kinda going out soon so I need to be awake on Thurs afternoon and Friday to really just work on it and be done.
But I trust in God, and he will help me to overcome. I look to God alone, I focus onto him, I run to him. A wildfire.
---
John 21:15-17
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."
The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.
---
VERSE 1:
Tear down the walls see the world
Is there something we have missed
Turn from ourselves
Look beyond
There is so much more than this
PRE CHORUS:
And I dont need to see it to believe it
I dont need to see it to believe it
Cause I cant shake this
Fire deep inside my heart
VERSE 2:
Look to the skies hope arise
See His majesty revealed
More than this life there is love
There is hope and this is real
PRE CHORUS 2:
Cause I dont need to see it to believe it
I dont need to see it to believe it
Cause I cant shake this fire burning
Deep inside my heart
CHORUS:
This life is Yours and hope is rising
As Your glory floods our hearts
Let love tear down these walls
That all creation would
Come back to You
Its all for You
CHORUS 2:
Your Name is glorious
Glorious
Your love is changing us
Calling us
To worship in spirit and in truth
As all creation returns to You
BRIDGE:
Oh for all the sons and daughters
Who are walking in the darkness
You are calling us to lead them back to You
We will see Your spirit rising
As the lost come out of hiding
Every heart will see this hope we have in You