God's Plan A

I am finally writing again in my blog...

Hello there....

As I was looking through my blog, i do realize i miss writing in it. 

Let me start off by telling you my first quarter of the year feels like...

Sometimes.... Our plans never go as planned. I am a kind of person who is very strict about my plans and schedule. Once things do not go as planned, I get upset and bummed. Yes.. SUPER BUMMED...

Have you ever felt that Life isn't bringing you where you are?

You are 30 and still single

or

You are in college but you still don't know what to major in

This is what I'm going through. I want to do things my way, but it isn't happening. I yell and ask God why isn't everything going as planned. 

But then God tells me different things...

Our plan A might not be God's plan at all. 

God's plan A might be our plan Z

Isaiah 55:8-9 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

I was amazed as I was reading this verse. God isn't boasting about how His plan is better than ours (but of course it is)... but God is telling us that whatever plans we choose, it will not be as Good as God's plan. 

Jeremiah 29:11 

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

So, if we are struggling right now, just remember that God always have a better plan for us.

I remembered a short sermon i did about GPS. (God's Perfect System)
I remembered how God reminded me about His system. Jesus is like our GPS.
When we turn the wrong way or when we're stuck in traffic, He will take us to a better route and He will take us to our destination. 

Don't be discouraged or Afraid about the future because God holds it. Pray about your future and He will guide you through it.

Beautiful Exchange

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life"

- John 3:16

Yes, it's the Easter Weekend.

Good Friday. When we are reminded of the most beautiful act of Love the world has ever seen.

We have read the bible verse above since ever we were small.

We were always thought about how Jesus died on the cross and has delivered us from our sins.

But, have we really felt how deep the meaning is?

Recently, I've been listening to the song Beautiful Exchange by Hillsong

I've never realized how much God has sacrificed for us that He gave His ONE and ONLY son so that we could live AN ETERNAL LIFE???

WHAT??? 

THESE PUNY LITTLE HUMANS? Does God really love us that much???

The answer is "YES!"

God created us according to His Image.

He loves us more than anything. God loves us no matter our circumstance, no matter where we come from. 

I love the version of John 3:16 in the MSG

"This is how much God loved the world:

He gave his So, his one and only Son. 

And this is why:

So that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life"

So, just because us humans have sin and should die, God gave his Son for us????

not to mention, DIED FOR US???

THAT IS JUST CRAZY??

But how do we believe in Jesus?

1. Romans 10:9

"If you declare with your mouth,"Jesus is Lord," and believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved"

All you need to do is just SAY IT WITH YOUR MOUTH AND BELIEVE WITH YOUR HEART.

2. Believe in the TRUTH.

John 14:6

Jesus Answered, "I am the way and the TRUTH and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

The TRUTH.

Sometimes, we only believe that because we are forgiven, we are able to sin again.

But the thing is, with the forgiveness and the grace of God, there is also another part.

It is called the TRUTH.

Jesus said He is the way, the TRUTH and the Life.

If Jesus is the Truth, that means we have to live in Truth!

So, What did God say to you on this Easter Weekend?

I am Independent, but I depend on God

Confusing isn't it?
All our life we have been trained by our teachers on How to live an INDEPENDENT life but The Bible teaches us a different thing.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight" 
- Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

God wants us to rely on Him. To trust Him
Not by might, nor by power, but by the spirit of God

I recently moved to Seattle,WA here in the US.
I honestly thought that I could make it. That I'm going to be strong enough to move away from my friends and family. But turns out, I wasn't.
After a few weeks here, I am already missing my closest friends, family, my home church back in Indonesia, my home and everything.

But here I learn about being Independent but at the same time depending on God.

Yes, I may have to be able to be strong and to go through this new chapter of my life.
But, where do I get my strength from? Where will I get my boost from? Who can I lean on?
Only One person can do that... Jesus Christ.
He took our burden on the cross and gave us the ease to carry life.
He was INDEPENDENT so that we can be DEPENDENT on Him.

I listened to Ps. Judah Smith's sermon the other day about Contentment, and found an interesting quote about Philippians 4:13
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
Since we were small, we would always listen to this verse. A lot of people consider this verse as a verse where they get their strength. But do we realize the true meaning of this verse: "I acknowledge and am aware of WHERE MY SOURCE comes from"

I believe, everything we do, we are able to do it because of Jesus and only He can recharge us from our tiredness.

So, are you tired? Do you need strength? 

Act of True Love

I was inspired to do this post because of a very cool movie called "Frozen"

*do you want to build a snowman?*

But anyway, the topic I want to talk about is about LOVE.

*cue music: LET'S TALK ABOUT LOVE….

What is LOVE? 

Well, it says in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues,they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

But it also says in 1 John 4:8 

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

So if God is love that means that God is everything said in 1 Cor 13

But what is actually the act of true love?

In fact, what is True Love?

Is our true love the guy we see in movies or dramas?

The one who easily says "I will protect you"?

I have been watching a lot of Korean Dramas lately 

(don't judge me. but seriously, these dramas are so addictive)

But anyway, these dramas kind of show the image of "true love" differently.

True love isn't the guy who saves you when you're about to get hit by a car, nor is it the person who offered to help you when you're lost in a foreign country and to find out you have some weird connection with him.

*Shout out to You who came from the stars and The Heirs fans*

But, true love is someone who is willing to sacrifice his/her life or liking for another person.

The act of true love is actually Sacrifice.

Like what we learned in Frozen.

It teaches about how true love isn't always about a relation between two lovers.

But it teaches us about how the act of true love also comes in a relation between family members.

like how Anna was willing to sacrifice herself even though she was in pain to let her sister live.

Its says in John 15:13 

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Greater love. 

But what does God want us to do?

God wants us to:

1. Love God 

But how?

We learned about the act of true love, which is sacrifice.

Sacrifice all our needs and wants for God.

Laying down our life to Jesus

Sacrificing all the things we can do, all the rights we have for His Glory

Is it tough? DEFINITELY!

But it is worth it.

Jesus has laid down His life on the Cross for us. 

All He wants is for us to be His witnesses in the end times.

2. Love your family

Family comes first!

Currently, I am preparing myself to move to the US.

It is definitely far away from where my family is. 

But I have learned to prioritize my family first.

Above my friends, my "dramas" that I have to watch every week, my hobbies.

Family will always be there no matter what.

Sacrificing for your own family is a start.

3. Love your Friends

Friends are also important in life.

Without them, you wouldn't be talking to anyone right now and would be totally mute or lame cause all you do is talk to your parents or family.

Sacrifice for your friends.

Sacrifice your ego for your friends. 

When your friends hurt you, sacrifice your rights to get mad and forgive them.

That way, people would see how different you are with others.

4. Love your community

This could be your school, your campus, your office or your neighborhood 

Pray for your school. Maybe your school has many problems or many bad influences.

Do you believe in the power of prayer?

When you pray in the Name of Jesus to save your school, I believe that your school could change.

and lastly,

5. Love your nation

No matter how bad your nation is.

No matter how much you hate the traffic or the pollution or the people, 

just believe that your nation could be change.

Just like the Wales Revival,

It only took one young man to pray for his nation, and Wales changed completely.

In 2014, the national prayer network in Indonesia is having a prayer movement called 14-14-14.

So, starting from February 2014 - November 2014, every 14:14, for 5 minutes, everybody will pray for Indonesia.

This could be an example.

No matter where you are from, take time and pray for your country.

But what is the greatest act of true love?

It was stated in the verse JOHN 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God bless you :)

Oceans - Hillsong United (Cover)

Oceans - Hillsong United (Cover)

Check out my cover of Oceans.

Hope you like it :) hihi

Finishing the race (Time's Up. Game over.)

As we end the year 2013, we have almost finished our race.
But before we start a new race, let's see if we have finished our race or not?

2 Timothy 4:7
"I have fought the good fight, i have finished the race, I have kept the faith"

But how do we finish the race?

In a race, it doesn't matter on how you start it.
It only matters when you have crossed the finish line.

Start with Jesus and End with Jesus!
But how do we start with Jesus?
By how it was said on Romans 10:9
"that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved"

Jesus is your Oxygen & Energy Drink
He is not only the extra boost you need, but He is the source of energy in our lives. 
Zech 4:6
"not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit" says the Lord Almighty.

In a race, we can't look back!
We have to have our Eyes on the Prize.
Jesus is our Prize. He is the goal we have to reach!!

DO NOT GIVE UP!!
There is one bible verse that I have always loved since I was small.
Phil 4:13
"I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me"

To finish the race, we need not only Speed, but we need Endurance and Self Control.
1 Cor 9:24-27
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 
25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 
27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Don't bother about your rivals or in this case, your burdens and problems.
Because you have won already, by the Blood of Jesus!
Rev 12:11

And last but not least, KEEP FAITH.
Faith is the key to your success.
Faith is like a medal.
Your Faith in Jesus will show the world the Secret to your winning.

So, are you ready to Finish the race?

W.W.J.W.M.T.D? Part II

Another thing Jesus would want you to do is 

UNITE:
Jesus wants you to have unity.
Unity is the key to the great end time harvest
It is also the key to Revival, Open Heaven.
But the most important is that, UNITY is the key to winning over the Spiritual warfare that is happening around us.

Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

1. Unity with God
By having the same thoughts as God, we are already united with Him.
When we are in His path, we are already united with Him and with His plans for us.

2. Unity with others
Unity isn't done only by the Leaders or by certain people of the group, but it should be done by the whole team.
Its like the body system. (Biology students should understand)

When your neuron system doesn't work, the whole body system would obviously not work because it didn't get any orders by the main system. 
When your excretory system doesn't work, it would affect the digestive system for sure.

That is the same about Followers of Christ.
When churches don't unite as one, we won't see a great result.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by^[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many."

1 Corinthians 12:12-31 tells us about the Unity and Diversity in the Body.
It shows you that even if we are different, we are still one.

3. Unity of the 3 Generations.
Just like Moses to Joshua, Elijah to Elisha,
so be it from Generations to generations.

3 Generations (Children,Young Adult,Adults) should be one.
It is like a relay marathon.
The Older generation would then pass on their fire and their ministry upon the next generation, but it should not stop only there.
The next generation will have to pass onward to their next generation in order to keep up the fire.

In May of 2013, there was a conference in Indonesia called Empowered 21 Asia.
It was the 2nd E21Asia Conference. And what amazed me was the theme of the year, which was 
"Fan the flame, fire up the generation"
I was so blessed at what God has done to the generation and I hope this sums up to what Jesus wants us to do.