Faith

What Faith Can Do - Kutless

Maegyvear and Edwin presented this song last CF, and the anointing that this song contains simply just moves hearts.

Do you know how powerful timidity can be? The devil can use it to make you do nothing, and in fact, make you feel the smallest you can be, that any average Joe is better than you, and that you can accomplish absolutely nothing.

Timidity comes with fear.

A fear to make mistakes;

fear to face the world.

Perhaps you're ashamed by your past, by the things you've shattered in your life, people you've disappointed. But be assured that when you've decided to put your FAITH in Him, He has cleansed you completely, from the inside out, and no matter how people around you perceive you to be, it's how God looks at you that truly counts.

I was studying for a Chemistry exam, and my friend borrowed my Organic Chemistry notes. I managed to compile everything into one sheet of paper, which is an entire myriad of mindmaps. And, my friend borrowed it to study, but after 10 minutes, she returned it to me, and said, "I can't understand it, because you're the one who made it, and I'm really not familiar with it."

Such a simple gesture reminded me of something, that only the maker and creator will know their creations best. In the same way, only God formed and made you, and only He knows you through the depths of your soul, and if He says that you can actually do and accomplish something, even if it's your weakness, you CAN do it, because,

your Maker said so.

Other people are mere souls that are carrying on this life journey WITH you, but they only know so much about you, and human nature makes them judge quickly, and some have influential powers to suppress you and make you think you can't.

But, God uses simple people to do great things.

God changes your weaknesses into strengths.

He is ready to transform and change you to reach further than your potentials, higher than your grounds. Potentials don't have to be natural born talents, or something you have a strong affinity for by birth, but they can be developed as you grow and mature. And as God can work through you and raise you up to be great children of His. His power is never limited by age, gender, circumstances, backgrounds.

The only limit you have is the one you put for yourself, because God goes way beyond boundaries, norms, and horizons.

God has been very real in my life in changing my fears into confidence, and in making me accomplishing something I could never do all my life.

He changed a drug addict and gang leader into a pastor;

He mended a broken family;

He gave hope to the lost;

He can do anything.

Tell me,

what can faith not do?

Somewhere In The Middle

Based on the song ’Somewhere In The Middle’ by Casting Crowns

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Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

We’ve all been there, that one time when you are caught in the middle, between what you know is right and the curiosity within you which urges you to do what your heart knows you shouldn’t.

Sometimes, being the good guy just doesn’t seem to pay. Everyone calls you a goody two shoes, their scornful laughter piercing your very being. And so, even though you know what they do is wrong, you feel extremely tempted to join them just to be accepted, because when you came to Christ and He took over, your life changed and your friends couldn’t deal with it.

This is when we find ourselves torn between wanting to please man, and wanting to let the Potter mould us into beautiful vases.

 

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Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves
Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You'll find me

We tend to find ourselves longing for more. We want what others have, and we constantly forget that what God has given us is the very best for us.

We say, “Lord, I trust in You to map out my future”, but then we go ahead with whatever plan seems best at the moment without looking to Him for guidance.

We hear the soft still voice of the Holy Spirit nudging us along the straight and narrow path, but there’s a louder voice speaking inside of us, telling us it’s okay to ignore God just this once. And for a moment, we hesitate, not knowing which voice to listen to.

We go to the altar of God in church once a week, and there we seek forgiveness. There we put on a mask and be truly repentant for the week that passed. But when we step out the doors of the church, do we go back to square one? Do we turn back to our old nature? Where did that repentant heart go?

The blessings of the Lord are sufficient to give us peace and calm and true joy. The love of God is sufficient to sustain us and to give us a reason for living. We look around us, and everything seems safe and nice. Then we look outside at everyone else, and even though we know that their activities are dangerous, they look like they are having fun. We want the luxury that others have. We want the kind of material comfort they enjoy. We want the excitement and exhilaration that they experience, even if we probably shouldn’t take part in it. Somehow, having the peace and joy of God just doesn’t seem to be enough.

 

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Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control
Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle

We want to be in control of our circumstances. We want a God whom we can keep in a box and take Him out when we need Him, the same way you would treat a magic lamp holding a genie. And yet, we know full well that God doesn’t work that way. God wants so much to be the most significant part of our lives.

Our mouths say we surrender all to Him and we lay our lives at His feet, but our hearts tell a different story. Our minds limit the work of God in our lives by placing mortal limitations in front of an infinite God.

We say “Let Your will be done”, but we cling stubbornly to our own vision of how our future must look like. We say “You know what’s best for me”, but we go around telling God what we want Him to do for us.

 

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Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle

Even through all those times, God proves time and time again that He is a faithful God, that He will never abandon us. He understands how confused we are and He knows that it is at times like that, that we need Him even more.

God is good, and He will never forsake us.

The question is, will we make a stand for Him? Or will we choose to leave Him?

The Broken Bridge

Because everything we're going through, both the good times and the bad times, have already been planned in advance by God. You may not understand why now, but you will come to eventually.

At the end of the day, you just have to trust in Him, and know that if it seems like He isn't by your side, or if things don't work out the way you want them to, it's because He has something better planned for you. God's ways are always better.

To those just starting the exams today, all the best (: And to those who started since Monday or Tuesday, remember that He will always be there for you, especially in those moments where you feel tired or weak. God bless!

S.O.S.!

You probably know that S.O.S. is a distress signal used to seek attention and to call for help. You probably would have heard that it is thought to stand for ‘Save Our Souls’, too.

We’ve all cried out for help and some point in our lives. Maybe you shrieked when you tripped, ripped your jeans and caused a bloody gash in your knee. Maybe you couldn’t answer a Mathematics question which you’ve pondered over for an hour, so you look to your class brain for help. Maybe you simply ran out of cash, and so you had to go to your parents, put on a pitiful look and ask them for extra cash, even though they just gave you your monthly allowance the week before.

And maybe, you’ve turned to God for help. Once, maybe twice, when you had nowhere else left to turn to. Maybe it was when your mum went for that test to see if she had cancer, and no one else could help you, so you turned to God with an S.O.S., for both your mother and yourself. Maybe it was when you went for that interview, and you didn’t know what else to prepare, because try as you might, you have no way of telling what you would be asked the next day, so you send an S.O.S. to God, asking for wisdom and peace, and for nice interviewers.

But apart from that occasional S.O.S. for the times when you’ve lost control of everything, when do you actually seek God? When did you last say "Hi" to God and talk to Him, just because you wanted to? When was the last time you loved Him, not because of what He can bless you with, but for who He is?

For some of you, being far away from home is difficult and trying, because the people you love aren’t there with you, and sometimes all you want to do is sit and talk with them. And so you get homesick, missing everything from your favourite blanket to your Mom’s cooking to that shopping mall which you are oh-so-familiar with, When was the last time you ever felt that way with God? When was the last time you felt the need to just talk to God because you love Him?

How often do you remember Him? On Sundays? On Christmas Day? When your exams are around the corner, and you feel like the weight of the world is upon your shoulder?

In contrast to our fickle nature and transient love for God, He loves us all the time, regardless of what we have done and where we are in life. You could be a drug addict who’s mind is constantly in another dimension, and He’ll still love you as much as He loves the pastor from the church down the road.

You might have just failed your exams, and you feel bitter, frustrated, thinking that you are the biggest failure in town, but He’ll still love you as much as He loves the smartest, most talented boy in town.

You could be dressed in clothes from the nearby pasar malam, and He’ll still love you as much as He loves the girl who sashays around in the latest Gucci outfit.

All He asks for, is that we love Him as our first love, and that we don’t just seek Him when we want His help, but that we seek Him all the time. Like a doting father who yearns for a good relationship with his children, so does God want to build a relationship with us which is based on love, and not our needs. Yes, He’s our God and He’s the King of Kings, but we don’t have to go through all the formalities to seek an audience with Him. We can simply come the way we are, devoting our hearts and lives unto Him.

You can talk about the simple things, like that crush that won’t go away, or a fear that you can’t seem to lose. You can bring your biggest troubles, and stutter your way through your prayer, but He’ll patiently listen to it all. He just loves you that much!