that night, God heard a sinner's cry...

God really has an amazing way of doing things. Looking back on this journey with God, I saw what I didn't see when I was living the story God has written for me. I saw miracles and transformations, and I realised that I was no longer the same. Gone were the days of darkness; a new day has begun. Yes, there are still struggles along the way, but each struggle that comes to our lives comes with a purpose - to teach us important life lessons. Remember, God will never leave you nor forsake you, but He wants you to learn, to grow stronger, to build up your faith in Him.

A few weeks back, God showed me one amazing thing that He did in my life. God showed me that night, even when I was still a sinner, even when I knew nuts about this God, even when I had no faith in Him, He heard this humble heart of mine. That night I prayed a very simple prayer - "God, I want to know more about You." I never thought God would hear this simple prayer of mine, but thank God He did.

A few months after this prayer, I was saved by the grace of God. Can you believe it? God heard my cry even when I was still a sinner! Not only did He just heard it, He turned my life upside down and inside out. My life was totally transformed by this amazing God. If not for Jesus, I would have committed suicide long ago.

I was completely awestruck. Today, everything that I am belongs to God, even the messages I posted, it's God's wisdom for me. God doesn't need you to pray a long essay kind of prayer, He just wants to hear from you. Trust me, even if you pray "God, help me!", God will hear you and will help you! God just want you to be honest with Him.

My Life

Verse:
In the valley of shades I walked alone
Wrestling with my thoughts, sorrow in my heart
Weary and burdened, forgotten and lost.
The only thing on my mind was giving up.

And I heard Him say...

Chorus:
Remember that day you cried my name?
Broken hearted, empty in spirit
You asked for my forgiveness
for the things you did to break my heart.
Come back my child, come back my child.

Verse:
I want life no more, It has lost its meaning.
I give it back to you, take it from me.
I want to try no more, I am tired,
so take this life from me.

And I heard Him say...

Bridge:
I spilled my blood to wash you clean
I died on the cross for you to live
I did all that just for you my son
I am willing, I am willing
If I had to choose again
I am willing to pay the price
For your life is precious
Your life is precious to Me

Ending:
Of all sinners, I am the worst
You gave your life for me,
but I gave mine away.
I thought it was all over
but I was wrong, I was wrong.
Lord, I'm coming back again.

When God Ran... Part 2

Brothers and sisters, God's love for us is never changing. He loved us when we were still sinners, He loved us when we were saved, and He still loved us when we sinned against Him, turning our back on Him. The story of the prodigal son showed us the heart of God. When we realise that we have broken God's heart, when we decide to turn back to Him, when we begin to ask for His forgiveness, do you know what God will do? He will run to you, take you in His arms, hold your head to his chest and say, "My son's come home again!" He will lift your face, wipe the tears from your eyes, and with forgiveness in His voice He will say, "Son, do you know I still love you?"

That's how great the Father's love for us is! Not only that, while you still have your old clothes (sin) on, He will cover you with the best robe, which is the blood of Jesus! He will cleanse you! And the ring, which signifies authority, He will put it on you because you are still His son!

Decide today to turn back to God, because He is still waiting for you. Do you know that the only one, and I really mean the only one, who can make God run, is you? Can you believe it? God loves you so much that He is willing to run to you to embrace you the moment you decide to turn back to Him! So, what are you waiting for?

When God Ran... Part 1

The Prodigal Son
Luke 15:11-24
11 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons.
12 The younger one said to his father, "Father, give me my share of the estate." So he divided his property between them.
13 Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.
14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.
15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.
16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 When he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!
18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you."
19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men."
20 So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 The son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son."
22 But the father said to his servants, "Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate.
24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." So they began to celebrate.

This particular father had two sons. One day, the younger son decided that it was time for him to get his share of property from his father because he believed that it was time for him to be independent. So, his father gave him what he wanted; a car, one million dollars, a condo, credit cards, and many more. Once he got what he wanted, he left his home. He led a life of partying, shopping, gambling, drinking, merrying; He thought he had everything in the world. Not long after, he had to sell his car, his condo and all that he had to support his wild living. Yet, he never realised his mistake, not even once. Soon enough, he had no more money; he was bankrupt. Instead of going back home, becaue he wanted to save his face, he tried to get employed. His job was so low paying that he could not afford to eat everyday. His life was so miserable. He realised that his father's workers were all living in comfort, thirst and hunger were never a concern for them. He decided to go back home to find his father to say sorry, and to ask his father to hire him as a worker because he feel that he no longer deserve to be his son.

On his way home, some distance away, his father saw him. His father's heart melted because he still loved his son and he longed for his return. Without a second thought, he ran towards his son immediately, hugged and kissed his beloved son. He exclaimed, "My son is home! He's home! He's home!" The father had joy spelt all over his face. The son told his father that he's no longer worthy to be called his son because of what he had done. Instead, his father told his servant to cover his son with the best robe, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. He even celebrated his son's return with a great feast.

The Greatest Love of All

You may be in the lowest valley, you may be walking in total darkness, and you may feel that you are totally screwed up, that life is meaningless, that life is worthless, that there is absolutely no reason for you to live on. You may have experienced many hurts in your life, hurts that formed deep wounds in your heart, hurts that put you in great agony, hurts that haunt you every single day of your life. You may be feeling rejected, despised, hated, and shamed. And you may be wondering if there’s gonna be a chance whereby someone will understand you, your pains, and your sufferings. Yes, who will ever understand what you are going through now? Who will? Who will? It’s painful to know this but the truth is, no one will ever truly understand what you are going through now, no one, not from this world.

It was Judgement Day in heaven. There were many who were rejoicing, for the time had come for Jesus to reign forever. However, there were also many who were crying and cursing God. They hated Jesus because they believed that He was unfair, unjust, and merciless. There were handicaps cursing at God for what had happened to them, some using abusive language against Him for their tragic lives when they were alive; raped, murdered, abused, tortured, despised, hated… The curses continued.

Finally, a voice spoke and all of heaven fell into complete silence. The voice said,

“He came down as a man, born not in a palace, not in a home, not even in a decent place, but in a manger. His birth wasn’t any big fanfare, nor glory, nor respected – It was dubious and despised. He didn’t grow up in a rich family; He was poor. He experienced all the sufferings that we might experience – Hunger, thirst, pain, torture, persecution, temptation, shame, sickness, hatred. He even went through the cruelest death.

What did He do to deserve all these? Did he commit a murder? Or a rape? Was He a thief? Did He even lie?

No! He was perfect and sinless!

Yet, He chose to die for us because His love for us is higher than the heavens and deeper than the sea. Not that we loved Him first, but it was His love for us when He created us, making us his highest creation. Even when He was suffering on that Cross, He still had us in His mind. Do you know what Jesus was thinking when He was hanging there, with blood dripping all over, and pain so overwhelming? He was thinking about how through His death, we can be reconciled to God; that through His death, we can be saved; that through His death, we can be healed, delivered, redeemed, blessed, strengthened, set free; that through His death, we have victory; that through His death, we can be with Him forevermore!

Is it fair for Jesus to die a death that belongs to us? Is it fair for him to die for our sins, something He didn’t even commit? Is it fair? Is it fair? Is there any justice if you want to look through this situation through the world eyes?

NO!

Why? Why did Jesus do that for us? The reason is simple. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Even when we were sinners, Jesus loved us. There’s nothing we can do to make Jesus love us more or less because He love us just as we are. You can be a murderer, a rapist, or even the greatest sinner, and He still loves you. He is the greatest love of all.”

I may not understand what you are going through now, but God understands. Because He went through all that pain and suffering, He knows how you feel. He knows you inside out, even before you were born. Today, Jesus wants you to experience His love, His love that conquers all fear, His love that is so amazing, and His love that is all you’ll ever need. He wants to heal your heart; the deep wounds that no man can reach, He can. The pain and suffering that you are going through now, Jesus wants you to cast them all upon Him. It’s heavy but He wants to carry it for you. He longs to be your greatest friend who will shower the greatest love upon you. And if you have been living in defeat, He wants you to know that from today onwards, you can live in victory because He has won it all at the Cross. You no longer have to live in darkness because Jesus is the light of the world, and His word is a lamp unto your feet, a light unto your path. He wants to give you a second chance to live your life. If you have never accept Christ as your Lord and Saviour, if you want to experience his amazing love, if you want God to heal your heart, if you want Him to change your life, pray this prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus,

Please forgive me of all my sins. I know that I need You. I need Your love to change me, and Your grace to forgive me. Thank You for Your amazing love, and for giving me life and eternity. And above all, thank You for dying on the cross for me. I open up my heart and my spirit, and I receive You as my Lord and Saviour. Come and abide in me. From this day onward, I will serve You and be a good testimony to Your great name. Give me Your power and anointing to become the person I ought to be. I will live my life for You and I will love You forever.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name I pray.

Amen.

Empty Yourself! Part 3

Now, we have many jars in our possession. For many of us, most of the jars are filled with worldly cares, leaving only a few or even none for God to pour His anointing oil into. Imagine, if the widow hadn’t poured away the soup in the jar, she could have totally missed it. Do you want to miss the anointing oil that God is going to pour out?

Don’t you think that it’s time for us to empty all our jars, even if that will cause us to have lack in some areas of our lives? Don’t you think that we have to start gathering more empty jars so that God can pour more of His anointing oil, so that we will not say, “If only I had gotten more in the beginning…”?

Let’s start emptying the many jars of worldly cares in our lives. Let’s come before the throne of God full of emptiness, and let Him fill us with His everything, so that our lives will be all about Him, and not us. We have eaten too much from the world; our stomach is full of it. Let’s starve ourselves for the food from the heavenly Kingdom, which we will never get sick and tired of, which we will always hunger for more and more because it is just so good. Let’s determine in our hearts that from this day onwards, that before we ask Jesus to fill our cup, we first empty our cup so that we will not miss the anointing that He wants to give us. Forget about the world; come into what God has for us. The world can fail us, but God will never fail us, nor will He disappoint us.

Empty Yourself! Part 2

2 Kings 4:1-7
1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”
2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a little oil.”
3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars, Don’t ask for just a few.
4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”
5 She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring.
6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”
But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”

2 Kings 4:1-7 talks about the Widow’s Oil. This particular widow was in heavy debts and the creditor was coming to take her sons as slaves. She was desperate and did not know what to do. Then came Elisha, who told her to look for empty jars, not just a few, but more than that. Now, let’s look at this situation from the widow’s perspective. She was so poor that she had nothing in her house, and now Elisha came to ask her to look for more empty jars? The widow’s house was already full of emptiness and now the prophet of God wanted her to find more emptiness? To make matter worst, Elisha wanted her to find more than just a few! What could the widow do with so many empty jars? She must have thought that Elisha was mad!

Being desperate, she listened to Elisha and went around looking for empty jars. She came to this particular neighbor’s house and she knocked. The neighbor opened and she asked him for an empty jar. Knowing of the widow’s situation, he thought, “O poor thing, she had nothing left in her house. She must be starving now.” So he brought a jar filled with soup for her. When the widow saw it, she said, “No! No! No! What I want is an empty jar; I do not want the soup in the jar.” The neighbor thought that the widow was too shy to take it so he insisted, “Take it, you must be very hungry now. You need to feed your sons too.” Left without a choice, the widow took it. Immediately after the neighbor closed the door, the widow poured the soup away and kept the empty jar.

She went home and did as instructed. She began pouring that little oil that she had left into a jar. To her amazement, the jar was filled. She filled another, and another, and another, and another, until all the jars had been filled. She asked her son to pass her another jar, but there was none. She told him to ask from the neighbor for an empty jar. He went and came back with it after a while. She wanted to pour oil into that jar, but there was no more oil. She thought, “If only I had gotten more in the beginning…”

Elisha told her to sell the many jars of oil she had. She did and not only can she pay all her debts, she still had money left to support her sons!

Next: Empty Yourself! Part 3

Empty Yourself! Part 1

It is of human nature that we like things to be full rather than empty. Ask yourself, who in the right state of mind will want an empty house, an empty bank account, or even an empty stomach? More often than not, we are so caught up with filling every part of our lives full that we forgot about filling ourselves with our very own Creator. And by the time we realized that, we are too full to be filled any further. Isn’t it an irony that people go to church to ask God to fill their cup when their cup is already filled to the brim by worldly cares? That’s the problem with many Christians. They go to church with heavy hearts, with thoughts about tomorrow, with plans for after-church activities, with so many things that there’s no place for God in their hearts. How can God fill your cup when it is already full?

Yes, God wants your life to be full, but do you know that God also wants your life to be empty, especially in His presence? The emptier you are, the more He can fill you. It simpler terms, God wants you to be hungry for Him, so hungry that you want more and more of Him every single day, so hungry that you will never be satisfied with His filling - You just want more! That’s how God wants us to live our lives! Not just hunger for Him on Sundays, on days when we had a fall, on days when we feel that God ain’t there anymore, but hunger for Him on Mondays, Tuesdays, every single day of our lives, on days when things are good, on days when we feel blessed, on days when you are satisfied. That should be our relationship with God – always wanting more of Him because He is all that we ever need!

Next: Empty Yourself! Part 2