“Daring greatly” by Brene Brown

When a Clinical Psychologist recommends you a book, you better be prepared for your world to wreck open. 

Hazel introduced me to this book “Daring greatly” by Brene Brown and honestly speaking, it wasn’t an easy read. Almost every sentence speaks of something that I refuse to acknowledge, or at least was trying to ignore.

I’ve also been trying to put this off, not wanting to go through the book again and deceiving myself that I actually have nothing concrete to share from this book. But as I forced myself to go through those pages again, I realised, there’s a lot in my mind.

So let’s get started.

“Connection is why we’re here. We are hard-wired to connect with others, it’s what gives purpose and meaning to our lives, and without it there is suffering.”

I think in this context, "connection" can loosely be translated or understood as "relationship". Something that I hate and avoid the most. I always believed that if relationships is a subject, I’ll definitely fail in it. I never know how to cultivate or maintain relationships. Most of the time I feel awkward, ashamed and fearful.

“Vulnerability is the core, the heart, the corner, the centre, of meaningful human experience.”

Oyan once said that I can tell easily when I’m not being myself because I am too comfortable being myself. She said that’s the reason why I get cranky and frustrated when situations demand me to pretend to be someone else. But I am at this very awkward position where I want to be myself and show the world who I really am but yet at the same time also very afraid that I am not good enough, or even perfect enough because so many people have commented on my behaviour and my actions just because mine are different and so much so it hit my core and fear took over. I choose to be aside instead of being a part.

“Wholeheartedness, but at its very core is vulnerability and worthiness: facing uncertainty, exposure, and emotional risks, knowing that I am enough.”

Because I took those reactions as an evaluation of my value as a human, I dare not risks and played it safe. If no one knows me truly, they couldn’t evaluate me. But that is not how we live life. I know I shouldn’t be reminiscing the past, but I’ve experienced the true freedom of being myself, living wholeheartedly without hanging my value on people’s opinion when I was still working in an NGO. I had that courage to be vulnerable and to be seen as who I am because I didn’t give a damn about what other thinks about me. Even they disapprove of me or disagree with me, I know my value and I knew I was enough. I wasn’t afraid to be seen in my nakedness and imperfection. I had a taste of what it is like to live wholeheartedly.

“Vulnerability is the core of all emotions and feeling. To feel is to be vulnerable. To believe vulnerability is weakness is to believe that feeling is weakness. To foreclose on our emotion life out of a fear that the cost will be to high is to walk away from the very things that gives purpose and meaning to living.”

One of my favourite words is "paradox". Because I believe this word describes perfectly about life. We are so afraid of getting hurt by being out there as ourselves and get “killed” so we hide thinking that it will keep us alive. But ironically the act of trying to save ourselves is what truly killing us inside.

“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.”

After reading the book, I couldn’t help but wondered if our society today have replaced this sort of courage with adventures such as sky-diving and etc. The pure thrill of being afraid and conquering our own fear of jumping out of a plane makes us so alive. And I wonder if we are able to be vulnerable and let ourselves be seen, do we still need those adventures just to feel alive? 

“Give me the courage to show up and let myself be seen.”

This is one prayer I’ll pray every day for the rest of my life.

To be continued...

The best shortcut is the long way: work hard.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is a book given/lend to me by my comrade.

Not very sure if this book is mine or not so I didn’t crazily highlight the contents of the book like I usually do but I did jot down bits and pieces from the book.

But this time, I have forgotten to write down the page number. ><  

I believe this is the consequences of not doing this for a very long time.

Anyway, here goes nothing.

- - - - -

When you’re screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they’ve given up on you.

Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome.

I don’t believe in the no-win situation.

The brick walls are there for a reason. They’re not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.

The brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop other people.

It’s easy to look smart when you’re parroting smart people.

Sometimes the most impenetrable brick walls are made of flesh.

Let’s saddle up and ride.

Time must be explicitly managed, like money.

You can only change your plan, but only if you have one.

Ask yourself: are you spending your time on the right things?

Develop a good filing system.

Inspiring others is doing good as well.

Somehow, with the passage of time, and the deadliness that life imposes, surrendering become the right thing to do.

Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won’t make us happier.

Treat disease, not the symptoms.

Don’t obsess over what other people think.

Almost everybody has a good side. Just keep waiting. It’ll come out.

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

Whether you think you can or not, you’re right.

It’s not how hard you hit. It’s how hard you get hit and keep moving forward.

Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you want. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.

The best shortcut is the long way: work hard.

Go out and do for others what somebody did for you.

Tell the truth all the time.

Try it anyway, you never know.

I want you to become what you want to become.

If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you.

- - - - -

Gosh! I just realize it’s a pretty huge chunk that I got out from the book. But I like how it tells different stories of his life to convey different messages.

Though this book is filled with nuggets, but there’s one particular takeaway that really stuck in my mind.

Certain behavior/ attitude is not morally unacceptable, but it is socially unacceptable.

Okay. That's not the exact word used in the book, but that's how I interpreted it. 

And somehow it really stuck in my mind as I believe I fall under the socially unacceptable group. 

I had a conversation with my friend recently and he told me a mutual friend of ours mentioned that it is more important to know how to act in front of our boss than excel in our work.

And he is doing pretty well (in a way).

I put more effort in my work than trying to please my boss. 

And sadly, behaving as such did not really work out for me. 

I was pretty sad about it, believing that there's something wrong with me and I should start acting in a way that pleases other people so that I too can not only survive but thrive.

But thank God for that friend of mine and my sis who talk me out of it.  

I like to be an actor, but I don't want to be an imposter. :)

The First Phone Call from Heaven

I know I'm a bit very behind on my book reading.

But I finally finished reading "The first phone call from heaven" by Mitch Albom!

*clap clap clap*

I wondered how he'll end the story from the very beginning and I must admit that I got goosebumps when I read the end of the story,

And here's my top 10!

“The pain you go through in life doesn’t really touch you… not the real you… You are much lighter than you think.” – p.g.17

“Fear is how you lose life… a little bit at a time… What we give to fear, we take away from… faith.” – p.g. 111

Sometimes love brings you together even as life keeps you apart. – p.g. 142

There are two stories to every life; the one you live, and the one others tell. – p.g. 157

 “When you know you are loved… that’s the light.” – p.g. 182

 “Doubt… is how you find Him.” – p.g. 190

Sometimes what you miss the most is the way a loved one made you feel about yourself. – p.g. 213

 “If you find one true friend in life, you’re richer than most. If that one true friend is your husband, you’re blessed… And if that one true friend is your sister, don’t feel bad. At least she can’t divorce you.” – p.g. 216

Desire set our compass, but real life steers our course. – p.g. 287

Sometimes you sit in a cell and don’t deserve it… Sometimes it’s the other way around. – p.g 304

As happens with all miracles, once life goes on, those who believe retell them with wonder. Those who do not, do not. – p.g. 307

-

Thank you for getting me this book!

You know who you are! :)

UN-CONDITIONAL

A friend of mine lend this book to me and told me is a great book.

Honestly, I was a little skeptic about it.

But I was so wrong!

So how good is this book?

I cried while reading it.

Un-Conditional by Justin Lee

Someone told me recently that when you see the title of the book, you can almost be sure what the book is talking about.

Though you might have the same thought about this book, but trust me is different.

Because in this book, Justin Lee shared his personal experience and stories of his journey.

He searched for answers to the questions that he has as a gay and a Christian.

You can never know other's personal experience just by looking at the title of the book.

It is not a book where people try to choke you with their beliefs.

But is a book that shares different view of people on the subject and how he himself come to his own conviction. 

As usual, here’s a few caption from the book that caught my eyes.

What a horrible choice: would you be a good person, or be an honest person? Deny what you believe about God, or deny what you know about yourself? Condemn yourself to a lifetime of faking it, or condemn yourself to an eternity in hell?

Instead, Jesus gives them an even clearer example of a violation of God’s law – and from the Scriptures, no less! In 1 Samuel 21, David is on the run from King Saul, and the only food he is able to get is the ‘bread of the Presence’. Which he is forbidden by God’s law to eat, but he eats it anyway. Jesus approves this, arguing that sometimes violating the letter of the law is necessary in order to do the right thing and support the spirit of the law.

Paul didn’t just believe circumcision wasn’t necessary. He believed that doing it in order to be on the ‘safe’ side was actually a sin. It was putting oneself back under the law and nullifying the grace that comes from Christ. 

This was the way to change the world: combat the misinformation with personal stories.

I always am uptight when somebody says… ‘I love the sinner, but I hate his sin.’ I’m sure you’ve heard that line over and over again. And my response is, ‘That’s interesting. Because that’s just the opposite of what Jesus says. Jesus never says, ‘Love the sinner, but hate his sin.’ Jesus says, ‘Love the sinner, and hate your own sin. And after you get rid of the sin in your own life, then you can begin talking about the sin in your brother or sister’s life.”

Hope is desire. Faith is demonstration.

Finally finish reading another book!

The last time I completed a book was more than a month ago!!!

And I’m so proud that I actually completed 2 books this week!

I was in the middle of another book when I decided to also read this one too!

“Sun Stand Still” by Steven Furtick.

I tried to limit myself to 10, but I failed. ><

Discovering God’s vision for your life is one of the primary ways God teaches you about his character. Seizing his big purpose for your life is not just about figuring out what God wants from you and getting down to business It’s also about mining the depths of who you are in him. And out of that revelation, you will fulfill the purpose that he put you on earth to fulfill.

Accomplishing the impossible is all about seeing the invisible. ~ p.g. 26

No act of service is insignificant when done for the most significant purpose in the universe: proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. ~ p.g. 53

It may be your job to cross over, but it’s God’s choice to see you through.

If you’ll do the believing, he’ll do the achieving. ~ p.g. 64

The goal of faith isn’t to take away your fears but to leverage those fears to create bold belief. ~ p.g. 66

But healthy confidence is born out of genuine humility. The two must work in tandem. Confidence without humility is arrogance. Humility without confidence is weakness. ~ p.g. 67

Perhaps true faith always feels this way. On the one hand, I know that God is able to do anything. On the other hand, I think he’s willing to do this specific thing. I know God can. And I’m pretty sure that he will. But I can’t be completely sure.

That’s where audacious faith comes in.

Audacity isn’t the absence of uncertainty and ambiguity.

Audacity is believing that God’s promise is bigger than my perhaps. ~ p.g. 69

Hearing from God is terrifying. If he wrote his will in the sky with fire, and airlifted you through the clouds to the completion of your assignment, obedience would be normal. But then faith wouldn’t be necessary, would it? ~ p.g. 70

It’s not wrong to fear. It is wrong to let that fear have the last word in your life. ~ p.g. 73

Instead, the scope and impact of your vision will be determined by who you believe God is- and whether you have the courage to respond accordingly. If you’re going to have a Page 23 vision and pray a Sun Stand Still prayers, you’ve got to have the right idea about who God is to you and what he wants to do through you. ~ p.g. 93

Faith has everything to do with you. And it has nothing to do with you.~ p.g. 95

Live a life that can be explained only by the existence of a God who is infinitely great. ~ p.g. 99

He is the infinitely powerful, but his intentions towards you are infinitely good. He is capable, but he is also compassionate. He not only has created a good plan for you, but he is also able to bring it to completion in your life. ~ p.g. 107

Prioritize the presence of God in your daily life. That’s where the power of belief takes hold and the process of true faith begins. ~ p.g. 110

God can’t make anything miraculous out of your mistake if you don’t call it what it is and deal with it accordingly. ~ p.g. 131

Instead, he told him to get up off the ground, stop crying about the past defeats, and obey God completely in the present moment. ~ p.g. 133

But we see from Revelation that repentance also means to get back to the top. Back to God’s perspective. His ways. His truth, His high calling and perfect plan for your life. ~ p.g. 134

Audacious faith doesn’t mean my prayers work every time. It means that God is working even when my prayer doesn’t seem to be working at all. ~ p.g. 148

If you’re going to have the audacity to ask God for something, you’d better be ready to act. Audacious prayer must be tethered to practical obedience. Or else it’s not faith. It’s just wishful thinking and positive mental energy. ~ p.g. 173

Audacious faith teaches us to push and pray. ~ p.g. 174

God takes pleasure when his children participate in his purpose. ~ p.g. 177

You do the natural. Trust God for the super. ~ p.g. 177

If all your prayers were answered the moment you prayed them, you’d start putting your faith in the power of your prayer instead of the power of Jesus. ~ p.g. 183

When what you see around you doesn’t match up with what God has spoken inside you, you’ve got to hold on to what you’ve heard. ~ p.g. 187

The stories of our Sun Stand Still prayers are ours to tell – but the story itself is always about Jesus. ~ p.g. 202

you win looking like you are losing

One of the book that changed my life was “The Lost Message of Jesus” by Steve Chalke.

Therefore, when I found out he published another new book earlier this year, I got it right away!

I mean, who won’t be interested in a book with the title “Being Human”?

And here’s my top 10 take away from the book!

Our greatest danger in life is to that we aim too high and miss, but that we aim too low and hit our target. ~ p.g. 17

The difference, for instance, between believing that God exists and believing that God does not exist is not the difference between the ‘presence’ and absence’ of faith - it is simply a difference in the content of that faith and belief. ~ p.g. 25

‘Enemy-occupied territory - that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.’ ~ p.g. 35

What’s required is a mind-set of never being satisfied with your current ability, a passion to aim just beyond your capability and, most importantly, a never ending resolve to dust yourself off in the face of defeat and try again. ~ p.g. 103

Jesus taught us to behave as if nothing we give away could ever make us poorer, because we can never run out of what we give. Rather than trying to grip your life with tight, anxious hands, unclench that fist. Open your hand. Don’t plot and scheme about tomorrow. Live with reckless generosity. Serve others. Give up the best seat. If you try to keep what you have, you’ll lose even that. Give it away, and you’ll get back more than you bargain for. Give it away, and you’ll get back more than you ever dreamt you could get. ~ p.g. 144

‘ A God who cannot suffer is poorer than any human. For a God who is incapable of suffering is a being who cannot be involved. Suffering and injustice do not affect him… so in the end he is also a loveless being.’ ~ p.g. 151

According to Genesis all human beings are stamped with the image of the Creator, which defines human life as more than merely biological. This means that when we stand before another person, however destitute, disabled, diseased or degraded, we stand before a representative of the divine. ~ p.g. 163

What they failed to recognise is that when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do, you can safely conclude that what you’ve actually done is recreate him in your own image. ~ p.g. 208

The essence of genuine discussion is that each person in that discussion is open to the possibility of being changed by what is shared. Without this, we might as well stand in front of a mirror and talk to ourselves. The great Catholic missionary and theologian Vincent Donovan put it like this : ‘Do not try to call [others] to where you are, as beautiful as that place may seem to you. You must have the courage to go with them to a place neither you nor they have been before.’ ~ p.g. 223

‘It is perhaps better, and far more accurate,’ he said, ‘ to understand God’s anger as his anguish - a dimension of his love, but never an emotion opposition to it.’ ~ p.g. 229

xXxXx

At first I have more than 30 to share but I accidentally deleted all so I became lazy and just choose 10 to share here.

Is another great book that you would not want to miss!

Know God and make God known

Completed my second book in the previous volume by Bill Johnson.

Book 2 - “Release the Power of Jesus”.

Our capacity to remember what God has said and done in our lives and throughout history -  the testimony - is one of the primary things that determine our success or failure sustaining a Kingdom lifestyle of power for miracles. ~ p.g. 26

Just as God’s nature is revealed in what He does, the evidence that we are being transformed into His likeness is that we reveal His nature in what we do. ~ p.g. 31

We, as sons and daughters of God, are destined to reveal our Father to the world by bearing His likeness. We do this as Christ did, by communing with the Father, the Kingdom of Heaven to earth through demonstrations of power and authority, all in the context of showing the love of God. ~ p.g. 33

Everyone desires Jesus. They just don’t know it. ~ p.g. 34

Everything God has said and done in history is your eternal possession, and that record holds all the resources you need to be transformed into the image of Christ and become a transformer through demonstrating His good works. ~ p.g. 35

Power is a huge part of your inheritance, but the way to walk in power cannot be separated from personally encountering the God of power. You will grow in your relationship with Him through that experience. ~ p.g.37

The more room we make for Him in our lives, the more we puts His power and revelation to work for that purpose. He is the one who reveals what the Father is doing and saying and then equips us to do and say it. ~ p.g. 38

God’s people were not to be known for the perfect law code they possessed, but by the fact that God Himself was present among them. ~ p.g. 61

Likeness and agreement are the heart of covenant. It was this perfect agreement with God that enabled Jesus to release the Spirit of God whenever He spoke. ~ pg. 71

When we declare the testimonies of the Lord, we are actually describing who He has promised to be in relationship with us; and more, we are putting a demand on Heaven for the covenant to be renewed and demonstrated in the present as it was in the past. ~ p.g. 72

The truth is that the anointing on the testimony has always been there, but our ignorance has kept us from receiving what we never perceived as available. ~ p.g. 82

There is no neutral territory in our world. Either we are forcefully and proactively pursuing the Kingdom of God, or we are, whether actively or passively, allowing the kingdom of darkness to legislate its influence by gaining a place in our hearts -  the place from which we perceive reality. ~ p.g. 85

In fact, the spiritual reality with which we commune in our hearts is precisely the power released in our declarations. For this reason, the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart are intimately connected. ~ p.g. 86

What David discovered in studying the works of the Lord is that they have a life of their own that is unaffected by time. ~ p.g. 88

No matter how mature we become in God, the theme of our utter dependence and His perfect ability permanently runs through our lives. ~ p.g. 95

Miracles erase options for the believer. This is what the renewed mind looks like. It no longer starts with lack. ~ p.g. 102

But also we must develop a growing awareness of God’s presence among us if we are to draw from that presence and walk out our God-given assignment. Our awareness of God is what determines how we respond to Him, how we perceive reality, and how we live. It is an extremely important element required for us to be successful in following and obeying God. ~ p.g. 113

Our strength and courage to do what God has told us to do flow directly from our awareness that God is with us. ~ p.g. 114

When you walk in radical obedience, you have sustained confidence to face the difficulties of life. Radical obedience positions you for victory after victory because it preserves and expands your trust and intimacy with the God who makes you victorious, But when you’re walking in disobedience, it’s virtually impossible to muster the courage to face the battles around you. ~ p.g. 119

Radical obedience to God means refusing to compromise or redefine what He originally told us to do in order to fit within the paradigm of human possibility. ~ p.g. 120

The problem is never on God’s end. He is good, and He hasn’t changed. ~ p.g. 126

Undeveloped things in the Kingdom sill have the life of the King in them. ~ p.g. 136

Jesus taught us that it is natural for all believers to know His voice, so it is equally natural to be able to tell others what He is saying. ~ p.g. 138

The least person in the Holy Spirit-filled life has access to more in God than the greatest of all the Old Testament prophets. ~ p.g. 138

The testimony is to make us hungry for more, giving us the license to pursue supernatural breakthroughs. ~ p.g. 142

And because the testimony by its nature is something that God is ready to “do again,” we can make our decision based on His intention to repeat the miracle. ~ p.g. 154

Real wisdom is not something you can get apart from relationship with God. ~ p.g. 154

We came from joy, and we were made for joy. Any plan for life that does not involve our being perpetually joyful is in contradiction to God’s design for us. ~ p.g. 155

Our greatest responsibility is to know God and make God known. ~ p.g. 167

Our greatest treasure is God Himself. Our greatest privilege is to manifest Him. ~ p.g. 173

God will allow us to carry as much of His presence as we’re willing to jealously guard. ~ p.g. 174

The record of God’s activities among men is not to be hidden or forgotten. It must be declared to the younger generation, who must intern be trained to do the same with their own children. The chain must not be broken. It is one of increasing revelation of God’s nature and presence upon the earth.Each generation is privileged to build upon the previous one, until the manifestation of God’s nature and presence becomes more and more pronounced. ~ p.g. 177

Inside out

The first time I heard about Pastor Bill Johnson was during my time in SOT.

Pastor Bill was one of the speaker that came and teach us and also he shared during a weekend service.

I remembered clearly that time that I find it very hard to understand what he was sharing and I didn’t catch whatever he was trying to impart to us.

But I think God is amazing.

After SOT, I’ve been through a period of time where He drew me closer and closer to Him.

That was the season of my life where I really build an intimate relationship with God.

And all of the sudden, my eyes sees and my ears began to hear.

I started to understand more of what Pastor Bill was sharing.

And it is AMAZING!

One of the item on my wish list is to be able to go to Redding, California to visit his church.

He told us that sometimes during worship, God’s cloud of Glory will appear.

I want to see that!!!!!!

But come to think of it, I want to see that in our church! XD

I got this volume and started reading it last year.

But for some unknown reasons, I didn’t continue it.

I restarted it just last week and I’ve completed the first book in this volume.

“Dreaming with God” by Bill Johnson

Trust me, it ain’t easy to choose what to share here.

Look at those tags!!!!

But I’ll try my best to share what impacted me the most.

God has made Himself vulnerable to the desires of His people. ~ p.g. 23

The world has longed for a message they could experience. Yet many believers have simply tried to make the good news more intellectually appealing. This must stop! The natural mind cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God (see 1 Cor. 2:14). The wisdom of God is foolishness to men. It’s time to be willing to appear foolish again, that we might provide the world with a message of power that delivers, transform and heals. This is true wisdom. It alone satisfies the cry of the human heart. ~ p.g. 49

When people pursue dreams but fail to see them fulfilled, they prepare the way for others who carry the same dream to eventually get the breakthrough that they were seeking. It is hard for many to take comfort in this though, but that’s because we usually think it’s all about us. There is no failure in faith. p.g. ~ 50

To have questions is healthy; to hold God hostage to those questions is not. It is sometimes creates an atmosphere that fulfils its own prophecy about the power of God not being for today. It shuts down the very anointing that would teach them otherwise. ~ p.g. 56

It is the mercy of God to withhold revelation from those who have no hunger for truth, because if they don't hunger for it, the chances are they won’t obey it when they hear it. Revelation always brings responsibility, and hunger is the thing that prepares our hearts to carry the weight of the responsibility. ~ p.g. 60

A yielded imagination becomes a sanctified imagination; and it’s the sanctified imagination that is positioned for visions and dreams. ~ p.g. 67

He is not on trial, we are. ~ p.g. 69

The spoken word is never to replace the written Word. The more of the written Word we have in our hearts, the greater the capacity we have to hear the spoken word, because He speaks to that which has been deposited in out hearts and calls it forth. ~ p.g. 73

Royalty is my identity. Servanthood is my assignment. Intimacy with God is my life source. So, before God, I’m an intimate. Before people, I’m a servant. Before power of hell, I’m a ruler, with no tolerance for their influence. Wisdom knows which role to fulfil at the proper time. ~ p.g. 88

The prophetic in its purest form is designed to find the gold in people’s lives and call it to the surface. ~ p.g. 89

Learning how to pray in the Spirit and soak in His presence will give great advantages to those wanting to invade this mountain (Entertainment). ~ p.g. 100

When God is number one, there is no number two. ~ p.g. 111

In the wake of our passion for God, passion for other things is created. ~ p.g. 112

His focus in revelation is our personal transformation. Revelation leads to a God encounter, and the encounter forever changes us. The encounters can be stunning experiences, or the simple moments of being immersed in His peace; but they are makers along the journey of, “Thy kingdom come…” Without the encounter, revelation makes us proud. ~ p.g. 130

The ability to carry more has to do with both character and faith. Character enables us to receive glorious promises of destiny without taking the glory to ourselves. And greater faith responds to the declarations with the great courage needed to fulfilment. ~ p.g. 135

He purpose to be regularly conscious of God’s nearness and lived from that mind-set. ~ p.g. 140

Kingdom principle functioned even before his conversion. Finding and applying principles is something even an unbeliever can do. ~ p.g. 141

Truth is multidimensional. Some truths are superior to others. Lesser truths are often foundation of greater truths. “I no longer call you servant, but friends.” Friendship with God is built on the foundation of first being a servant. Truth is progressive in nature - line upon line, precept on precept.~ p.g. 144

I must come to that which I understand with a childlike heart because what I know can keep me from what I need to know if I don't remain a novice. Becoming an expert in any area of Scripture is the very thing that often closes us off from learning the new things that God is opening up in His Word. Again, it’s the childlike heart that attracts revelation from God (see Matt.11:25). ~p.g. 147

True meditation feats on God’s Word. ~ p.g. 152

The Holy Spirit is imprisoned in the bodies of unbelieving believers. ~ p.g. 157

The declared word has the capacity to resource earth with heaven’s resources. ~ p.g. 157

Every time God speaks to us, there is a transfer of heavenly resources from His account into ours. ~ p.g. 158

When we encourage, it is more than a feel-good moment; it actually releases the labor of God. ~ p.g. 160

Our relationship with the Holy Spirit is foundational to the breakthrough that we all want to see. ~ p.g. 161

What is going on inside of us affects what goes on around us. ~ p.g. 161

It is important to note that a prosperous soul attracts the blessing of the Lord materially and financially. ~ p.g. 163

To put the richness of that gift into eternal future is to sell short the power of the Cross in the present. He gave us a gift beyond comprehension because we have an assignment beyond reason. Jesus gave us all things because we would need all things to fulfil our call. ~ p.g. 170

Our passion for Him and His promises speeds up the process of growth development, making us qualified for the stewardship of those events sooner than had been planned. ~ p.g. 172

Only believe

Smith Wigglesworth. 

The first time I heard of this name was during bible school.

One of the teacher shared a lot of stories about him that I couldn't resist to know more.

If my memory serves me correctly, he once got a person so convicted of their sins just by sitting next to them.

And He even bring his dead wife to life nota once but TWICE.

His wife did not stay alive because she told him to let her go back to God and then only his ministry will take off.

Smith Wigglesworth is a man of God that heals people by the power of God.

So when I found out that the bookstore have his books, I grab it before someone else did.

“Wigglesworth on the Anointing" is a compilation of the words he shared in different conference.

May God the Holy Spirit make me so unconscious of my condition the Spirit, so hungry, so thirsty, that I see everyone as having more than me. - p.g. 44

There is something wrong when you are the only one who is right. - p.g. 73

You began well; what has hindered you? (Galatians 5:7). Was it the Lord who came in the way? No, the Lord never stops your progress. It was some human thing. There was something glittered, but it was not pure gold. There was something that shook your confidence, but it was never God. - p.g. 78

Nothing will put law away except perfect love. There is no law to love. Love never had a law; it never felt it was making a sacrifice. If you ever talk about sacrifice, it shows you do not know what it is to love. - p.g. 81

We are to be more helpless, more dependent on God. - p.g. 88

One is that the devil doesn't let you forget your sins; the second is that you never forget them; and the third is that God has forgotten them. The question is whether we are going to believe God, the devil or ourselves. - p.g. 96

I believe that God wants us to know that our fruit has to remain. Beloved, we should recognise that our prayers are in vain unless we really expect what we ask to be granted to us. - p.g. 97

There is nothing is the world as lovely as the knowledge tat God reaches out, and tat those who seek Him, find Him - and He finds them. Remember, there are always two seekers. The moment you begin, you will find that God begins. ~ p.g. 101

The worst thing that can come to anyone, to a child of God, is to be self-satisfied with his present spiritual attainment. ~ p.g. 113

Enter into rest, get filled with the Holy Spirit, and unbelief will depart. Where people entered in, they were safe from unbelief, and unbelief is sin. It is the greatest sin, because it hinders you from all blessings. ~ p.g. 119

We should be so filled with the power of God that we should not know what it is to have a body -  that is, we should not be aware of our bodies through experiencing pain or sickness in them. ~ p.g. 126

When I think of the infinite wisdom of God in this measure, why did God not come to us and make Himself openly manifested to us? Why not? Because our finite beings could not stand His glory. You remember that as Saul went into Damascus, the light of the Son flashed brilliantly on the road, and those with him fell to the earth, and he was struck blind at the same time. We could not stand God’s glory, because we are only finite beings, but God did the very best for us. When He could not present Himself to us, He gave us His Word. ~ p.g. 128

And when I come to a place where I will not do anything for myself, then God will do something for me, and I will gladly do anything for Him that He may desire me to do. That is in the order of the baptism of the Spirit. It is when we cease to clothe ourselves that God clothes us; and it is the clothing with which He clothes us that covers all our nakedness. ~ p.g. 140

Will we stop short of what He says we ought to be will we cease to come into line with the Mind that is always thinking for our best; will we cease to humble ourselves before Him who took the way of the Cross for us; will we withhold ourselves from Him who could weep over the doomed city of Jerusalem, from the Lord Jesus Christ, who has “trodden the winepress alone” (Isaiah 63:3); will we cease to give Him our all? To what profit will it be if we hold back anything from Him who gives us a thousand times more than He ever asks from us? ~ p.g. 153

I have a Jesus like that, who can speak the word and the thing is done. I have a Jesus who indwells me and vitalises me with a faith that believed it is true. I have a Jesus within me who has never let me get fainthearted or weary. ~ p.g. 155

A man cannot make opportunity. He has to be ready. It is God who makes the opportunity. ~ p.g. 173

If I fall off or fall over, I fall into grace

I’ve been pretty slow in my book reading.

Though I’ve read 3 books so far this year, but I only read 1 during February and March.

I really need to spend more time reading!

Anyway, the latest book I finished is Learning to Love by Heidi and Rolland Baker.

A bit of background about them, they are 2 crazy lover of God that stay and plant churches in places that is super duper isolated from the modern world!

And when I say crazy, I mean CRAZY!

You can just google about them to know them more.

Oyan got me this book when she went to Kingdom Invasion conference in Singapore last year.

Basically, this book is filled with stories how they reflect God’s love in the mission field and how God had been miraculously and amazingly faithful to them!

And as usual, these are my take away from the book!

Do you love Me? Will you complete your work, will you fulfil your destiny because of who Jesus is? That is the only reason to do anything beloved, and it is the only safe place to be - in Him, drinking Him, imbibing Him over and over; to be filled and poured out, filled and poured out. ~ p.g. 13

When you are in love, you are different. You will do anything, go anywhere. All you want is to be with the one you love. This is passion: being totally committed, not just dipping your toes in the water to see what the temperature is life. ~ p.g. 23

When you are in love you have power; you will do anything and go anywhere that your loved one asks. You simply trust the one you love to be there for you. You can run headlong into dark places if you know that light is waiting for you. You can jump out of a boat into a stormy sea, you can take extravagant risks, you can live right on the edge. If you fall off or fall over, you fall into grace. ~ p.g.24

When your mind is too big and your heart is too small, you can’t get anywhere. You can’t fly, let alone soar. ~ p.g. 24

Sometimes it is life this. It looks like your vision is in the camp of someone who doesn't even know God. It looks like your vision has been captured and carried away. It looks like it is full of dust, covered over, and without any fuel. And yet God says, “Believe what I said! And do not stop!” Love is tenacious. Faith is tenacious. Love doesn't give up, even when the engines are toast and you have to pay 70% duty! Do not stop short of His promise to you. Do not stop short of your destiny. Do not stop short of His glory. ~ p.g. 51

When you are stuck the best thing you can do is to ask your loving Father what is best? Jesus said, “I only do what I see the Father doing.” ~ p.g. 67

“To live is Christ, to die is gain. We have to let go of our pre-conceived ideas, our carefully worked out plans, our way of doing things so that God can live in us. We need new life, His life. If we are going to make room to carry His glory then we have to die first. We have to take our place at the cross and say, as Jesus said, “Not my will but Yours God Your will. I will drink the cup You have called me to drink, whatever the cost.” ~ p.g. 72

It takes courage to go, but it can take more courage to let go. To let go of the reins that you have been holding on to. Let go of your way, let go of being the answer. You and I are not the answer my friend, God is. ~ p.g. 73

We cannot love with supernatural, unstoppable love unless we actually experience the love of the Father for us first. As the radiance and exact image of the invisible God, Jesus is a spiritual lover, our perfect and ultimate companion. Our first value is to know Him in a passionate relationship with a love that is stronger than death (Song of Songs 8:6). We major first of all not on mission strategy, methods, projects and fundraising, but having the God-life that the world so needs and craves. ~ p.g. 142

Joy laughter and a light heart are not disrespectful of God and incongruous with this world, but are evidence of the life of Heaven. ~ p.g. 146

God was there before number one

As I mentioned earlier in my previous post, “Battlefield of the mind” by Joyce Meyer is not the first book I read in 2015. 

Because I read my first during my Taiwan trip, I did not highlight or bookmark those portion that touch my heart. 

So I reread it and I’m proud to say that I’ve completed “Have a little FAITH” by Mitch Albom!

BAM! 2 books in a month! Good job Constance Lim! Good job!

I like this book a lot because the things that he wrote is a lot like what God have been showing and telling me.

 

I can’t help but to keep whisper “AMEN” while reading this book! 

Is really a good read! 

It reveals a lot of the heart of The Father! :]

So here are 10 parts where I go AMEN and WOW!;-

 

“They weren’t perfect… … but they don’t need improvement.” ~ p.g. 52

“You’re not listening with your eyes.” ~ p.g. 61

“Stop celebrating. For those were my children, too.” ~ p.g.76

“When you come to the end, there’s where God begins.~ p.g. 79

“It is far more comforting to think God listened and said no, than to think that nobody’s out there.” ~ p.g. 82

“… And when we’re still looking at ourselves through our past, we’re not seeing what God has done. What He can do! We’re not seeing the little things that happen in our lives… … … You knew me. You knew that person, but you don’t know the person that I’m trying to become.” ~ p.g. 192

“Getting old, we can deal with. Bring old is the problem.” ~ p.g.125

“It’s God measuring you against you.” ~ p.g. 207

“Nothing haunts like the things we don’t say.” ~ p.g. 212

“You’re a man of God too,” he whispered. “Everyone is.” ~ p.g. 227

Honestly I find it very hard to just choose 10 because in every few pages, I will definitely take a deep breath and be in awe with the content. 

Is really a good book that you cannot miss!!!

Obedience over sacrifice

Woohooooo!!!

Finally completed my first book for the year!!!

Ok. I lied.

This is actually my second book.

I completed another book during my Taiwan trip but I didn’t highlight the portions that spoke to me so I’m going to reread it!

Anyway, I’ve completed “Battlefield of the mind” by Joyce Mayer.

I think is a super timely book as God been speaking and dealing with me some of the areas mentioned in this book!

And the last chapter of this book talks about obedience, which was my “theme” last year!

Nothing really happens by coincidence! XD

So here is some points from the book that hit me.

You can’t overcome your situation by determination alone. You do need to be determined, but determined in the Holy Spirit, not in the effort of your own flesh. The Holy Spirit is your Helper – seek His help. ~p.g. 20

This avoidance of hope is a type of protection against being hurt. Disappointment hurts! So rather than be hurt again, many people simply refuse to hope or to believe that anything good will ever happen to them. This type of behavior sets up a negative lifestyle. ~ p.g. 37

Salvation is based solely on the bold of Jesus, His death on the cross and His resurrection. Many people will be in heaven because they truly accepted Jesus as their Savior, but many of these same people will never have walked in victory or enjoyed the good plan God had for their lives because they did not get their mind renewed according to His Word. ~ p.g. 60

You and I must grow to the place where we are satisfied to know the One Who knows, even if we ourselves do not know. ~p.g. 91

It is the privilege of every believer to refuse to worry or have anxiety. As believers, you and I can enter the rest of God and stay there. ~p.g. 104

We must realize that we have our own way of seeing things. We like to tell people what we think, and that is exactly the point – what I think may be right for me, but not necessarily right for you, and vice versa. ~ p.g. 125

Each of us belongs to God, and even if we have weaknesses, He is able to make us stand and to justify us. We answer to God, not to each other; therefore, we are not to judge one another in a critical way. ~ p.g. 127

He is always with us, but we need to think on Him and be aware of His presence. ~ p.g 159

Many people never see the answer to their prayers because they negate what they have asked for with their own thoughts and words before God ever gets a chance to work in their behalf. ~ p.g. 163

How can we be a blessing to the Lord? By letting His praise continually be in our thoughts and mouths. ~ p.g. 165

We need to hear what the Spirit says, not what the world says. Let God speak to you about your future - not everyone else. ~ p.g. 182

I will patiently suffer rather than fail to please God. ~p.g. 203

… Jesus said to Peter, “Don’t be concerned about what I choose to do with someone else – you follow Me!” ~ p.g. 260

Samuel’s answer to King Saul was that God desire obedience, not sacrifice. If we “think” too much, we can reason our way out of God’s will. ~ p.g.269

Toodles! :]

Wild at Heart by John Eldredge

Exactly one week ago, we came back from Bangkok and I never stop working since.

Though I still get enough sleep throughout the week, but I’m still very tired.

Just now after dinner, I just KOed and I couldn’t even get myself out of bed! LOL

And now I finally got the time to just sit down and blog!

Ah~ How I missed blogging~ 

I’m not going to share on my 12 days at Bangkok, but I’m gonna share the book I’ve completed reading during my Bkk trip! XD

This is a book recommended by many to understand man.

As the cover book says, “Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul”.

Honestly speaking, it did open my mind to something that I’ve never notice before.

And I think it help me better understand why things are the way it is today.

If you are a man, there’s no doubt that this is a good book to read!

If you are a woman like me, you’ll benefit from this book as well!

So as usual, I’m gonna share some extract from this book which captivated my heart!

Wild at Heart by John Eldredge

Eve was created within the lush beauty of Eden’s garden. But Adam, if you’ll notice, was created from the earth itself, from clay. In the record of our beginnings, the second chapter of Genesis makes it clear: man was born from the outback, from the untamed part of creation. Afterward he is brought to Eden. And ever since then boys have never been at home indoors, and men have had an insatiable longing to explore. ~p.g. 4

God gave us eyes so that we might see; he gave us ears that we might hear; he gave us wills that we might choose, and he gave us hearts that we might live. The way we handle the heart is everything. A man must know he is powerful, he must know he has what it takes. A woman must know she is beautiful; she must know she is worth fighting for. ~p.g. 18

Does Jesus tiptoe around the issue next time, so as not to “rock the boat” (the preference of so many of our leaders today)? Does he drop the subject in order to “preserve church unity”? Nope. He walks right into it, he baits them, he picks a fight. ~ p.g. 26

“In our fear that no one will speak on our behalf or protect us or fight for us, we start to recreate both ourselves and our role in the story. We manipulate our surroundings so we don’t feel so defenseless.” Fallen Eve either becomes rigid or clingy. Put simple, Eve is no longer simply inviting. She is either hiding in busyness or demanding that Adam come through for her; usually, an odd combination of both. ~ p.g. 54

“The ancient societies believed that a boy becomes a man only through ritual and effort- only through the active intervention of the older men,’” Bly remind us. The father or another man must actively intervene and the mother must let go. ~ p.g. 69

And every wound, whether it’s assaultive or passive, delivers with it a message. The message feels final and true, absolutely true, because it is delivered with such force. Our reaction to it shapes our personality in very significant way. From that flows the false self. ~p.g. 74

Yes, Scripture teaches the wise use of strength and the power of forgiveness. But you cannot teach a boy to use his strength by stripping him of it. Jesus was able to retaliate, believe me. But he chose not to. And yet we suggest that a boy who is mocked, shamed before his fellows, stripped of all power and dignity should stay in that beaten place because Jesus wants him there? You will emasculate him for life. From that point on all will be passive and fearful, never knowing if he is a man indeed. Oh yes, he will be courteous, sweet even, deferential, minding all his manners. It may look moral, it may look like turning the other cheek, but it is merely weakness. You cannot turn a cheek you do not have. ~p.g. 81- 82

Do you know why there’s been such an assault? The Enemy fears you. You are dangerous big-time. If you ever really got your heart back, living from it with courage, you would be a huge problem to him. You would do a lot of damage… on the side of good. Remember how valiant and effective God has been in the history of the world? You are stem of that victorious stalk. ~ p.g. 90

He created Adam for adventure, battle and beauty; he created us for a unique place in his story and he is committed to bringing us back to the original design. ~p.g.105

We must reverse Adam’s choice, we must choose God over Eve. We must take our ache to him. For only in God will we had the healing of our wound. ~ p.g. 119

A man must have a battle to fight, a great mission to his life that involves and yet transcends even home and family. He must have a cause to which he is devoted even unto death, for this is written into the fabric of his being. Listen carefully now: you do. That is why God created you- to be his intimate ally, to join him in the Great Battle. You have a specific place in the line, a mission God made you for. ~ p.g. 143

But that’s not why you love her -  to get a good grade. You love her because that’s what you are made to do; that’s what a real man does. ~ p.g. 192

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive. ~p.g. 202