Journal of an Army Life Group

The Rebirth of a new Army Life Group

2007-02-19T07:38:00.000-08:00

As you all know, MAD has faded into glorious history, a mark of honour on the lane of Memory. Now as our brothers whom we have fought besidie so many months are moving out and into their new Lifegroups, there stands a remnant of men who have answered the new call to battle in the midst of their national service.

A new Army Life Group is born.

Kingsmen.

http://allthekingsmen-rgen.blogspot.com/

Year 2006

2006-12-31T03:32:00.000-08:00

As we approach the end of this year, let us remember God's goodness to us
Let us put aside excessive festivities, and make space for thanksgiving!

All the best for the year ahead guys!

N.S=No Choice ?

2006-12-31T03:30:00.000-08:00

The Outcome of your N.S experience is 99% dependent on the choices you make,
And 1% dependent on the choices you did not get to make

Blackhole

2006-12-31T03:29:00.000-08:00

Sin is like a Blackhole
The Nearer you are to it, the greater its suction force
The Further you are from it, the more you overcome

Silver Refiner

2006-09-04T21:47:00.000-07:00

Hi, here's a piece of text that Alex received, and he wishes to share it with us. For all of us who are going through the grind, this is for us all!

Silver refiner___

Malachi 3:3 - "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She did not mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot then she thought again about the verse that says:

"He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy - when I see my image in it."

Thought this was really meaningful, especially those who are going through rough times in your life, TRUST that GOD is always keeping His eyes on you(: If possible, please keep me and my council in prayer, that God will be the motivating and sole driving factor that will steer us into persevering for this two ultra packed weeks, granting us ample of rest and strength for the day.(: LOVE YOU, LORD. Amen!

Let Us Pray (updated 270806)

2006-08-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

Dear MADders, please start praying!

This Week please pray for:

1. Our LG:
a) That we will be obedient, surrendered and sold out; God focused and not Self focused.
b) God is wanting to FLOW through us as a channel of His Love! Let's pray We will be willing to lay down ourselves to REACH the LOST!
c) God wants us to Love each other, believers and non-believers and EXPRESS IT! Lets not love ourselves and our own interests alone, but look outside of us!
d) That we will, regardless of where we are in our Walk, MOVE ON!(from sin to purity, from slackness to Discipline, from Comfort Zone to Conquer Zone)

2. YOUR LEADERS. Please pray that God will Protect us and Guide us as we lead and serve you in this Life Group. Pray for Power and Purity in our lives. Pray for purity in Jachin's life. Pray for Shaun to overcome thoughts of condemnation. Pray Also for PS Ben, PS Tony and those serving in RCC.......Cover Fire Please!(You can be sure we are praying for you too...:)

3. Dominic's decision for Work or University after ORD. He will need to give a reply to his parents soon. Please pray that he will seek God and hear of a clear Direction from him. Please also pray for the household's financial provision and health; last week, they were all having sore eyes.

4. Joshua's Grandmother who has cancer. Pray for Joshua that he will be willing to be used by God to share with and pray for his grandmother.

5. Gerald Ho and Shaun Foo and Jachin who will be in school this week. Also Clarence and Yen Soon who will be heading Outfield. Eugene See will be in his new job. Ivan will be tackling rowdy students in the secondary school he's teaching in. Joshua working long hours, for Chim Keng in Australia and the Glenn and Anthony and John doing daily duties. Pray for the Policemen Alex Alfred and Timothy who may be covering the IMF meetings. Pray that our brother Xingwen will hear from God for direction for studies/job.

Please pray that amidst all our concerns, WE will be FERVENT FOR THE LORD, and allow the burden for LOST SOULS grip us!

Have a Prayer filled, Spirit Empowered Week! Thanks for pressing on with me in this fight!

"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.Eph 6:12"

Prayers answered since last week
1. Pray for Ivan who has not been well. Please pray for him and encourage him. (Ivan is well now...praise God! )
2. Jachin's Dad who was hospitalized for a heart condition. Please pray that God will bring complete healing to his heart.(My Dad is out of hospital...praise God!.;lets pray he will be off medication though)

I want to break free and Grow in the Lord!

2006-07-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

All of us have capacities
Capacities toward sin and disobedience to God, and capacities towards obedience and righteousness
To grow in the Lord, we need to:
- Shrink the Capacity to Sin
- Enlarge the Capacity to Obedience

Fitness Tips

2006-07-17T04:16:00.000-07:00

If you want to do well in a fitness test or race, you’ll need muscles
If you want to get more muscles, start exercising the muscles you already have
Get your muscles moving!
Do the things your muscles are supposed to do!

If you want to do well in the Spiritual Race, you’ll need FAITH***
If you want to get more FAITH, start exercising the faith you already have
Get your FAITH moving!
Do the things your faith is supposed to do

***faith in God's Word

Going for a Breakthrough in our lifestyle

2006-07-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

God has been leading us to seek for a breakthrough in our lives, and He is leading some of us in MAD to make serious choices, especially the choice of a “way of life”/ a choice of the ”path of living” we will take in the coming weeks and months.

As you do this, you must consider the destination towards which each path of life will lead. Simply put, the path of holiness leads to life and happiness. The path of sin leads to a dead end.

We may be tempted into thinking, “I could do the godless life, I could lead a lawless lifestyle, pursuing enjoyment as my number one priority; I don’t need to care about God or the people in church. I can find pleasure and that is all I care about”

Yes, you could probably find pleasure, you will probably find all the pleasure that THIS WORLD has to offer.

Ah ha! But that’s the point! The pleasure is OF THIS WORLD. And if you run after the pleasure of the world, you make the worst choice you can ever make.

Why?

Firstly, the pleasure of the world is short-lived. The Word of God describes it as “Fleeting”(Heb 11:25). It will excite for a while, it will give you a false “heaven”.
But it’s only a matter of time before you realize this “heaven” does not really last. Find me a drug addict who is eternally happy, or a drunkard who finds his fill in drinking. Can you find a worldly pleasure that is enduring, everlasting? No worldly pleasure can bring you eternal enjoyment and satisfaction. In fact you’ll be left even hungrier and thirstier.
Sinful desires can never be satisfied!

Secondly, worldly pleasure comes at a price. You pay for sinful pleasures with your position, privilege and authority as a child of God. Look at Esau (Genesis chapter 25), he had an entire inheritance and blessing waiting to be received (Spiritual position, authority, destiny and blessings), and yet he gave it up for the bowl of lentil stew (temporal pleasures).

“Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.”

The lentil stew is a picture of something we desire carnally, something that feeds just our physical needs, for example, hunger, sexual desires. But with worldly desires, you pay for it with something eternal; you exchange what is eternally wonderful, meaningful to get something that is temporarily pleasurable. In essences, you make a lousy deal, a deal, which results in the loss of your destiny and purpose.

All of us are destined to greater things as Children of God. God never meant for us to be saved and then live powerless ineffective Christian lives still under the dominion of the devil and sin. But some of us have failed to see the destiny and purpose given to us “AS a RIGHT” because we are God’s children. We prefer the temporal pleasures of sin, crippling us Spiritually, hence we forsake God’s destiny for our lives.

Listen M.A.D! Has God called you to the mission field? Has He called you to go out as a preacher of His Word? What great calling and glorious destiny has God called you to! Don’t give it up because of foolish decisions; don’t despise your birthright as a child of God! Don’t lose the focus in this Race toward Christ!

If you sow in lawlessness, you will become a lawless person. If you sow in sin, you will become more and more like the devil. People of God can never live to please God and their sinful natures at the same time. (Rom 8:6-8)
“Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God”

What kind of person do you want to become?

Don’t just evaluate how you are going to live today, tomorrow or in the week. Think about the lifestyle you will be determined to follow. Without thinking about what life you want to lead, you will be just be wandering aimlessly, letting life around you dictate the way you live.

So consider the cost of your actions, and consider the destination that your way of life will bring you to, then make the wise choice today- Choose to live for Christ!

“And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again” 2nd Corinthians 5:15

“What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:20-23

Spiritual lessons from My teeth

2006-07-15T17:53:00.001-07:00

Today I learnt something amazing from taking care of my teeth, thanks to Gerald Ho, who recently extracted 3 wisdom teeth. The teeth are living matter, and the way we take care of them is a model of how we must take care of our Spirit Man. From them, we can learn a few lessons about purity.

1. Principle 1: Don’t allow decay to hide in the dark regions of your mouth
The wisdom teeth have the tendency to decay faster than the rest of your teeth. This is because they are often “hidden in a corner” and therefore “overlooked”. The rest of the teeth are near the front of the mouth and hence are easier to “care for”. Decay sets in because in the “dark corners” of the mouth, plaque, which corrodes the tooth, develops more easily.

Similarly, secret sin sets in like decay, and they will thrive in areas that are kept away from the place where it can be cleaned. When we keep our sins and struggles (decay) secretly tucked away in corners (of our mouths) where no help/remedy can be rendered, the decay will thrive and spread. On the other hand, if we open our lives to be accountable to others, we allow them to help us keep the “hard to reach” areas of our life clean. We ask others to pray for us, to help us ensure that our “decaying areas” or “weak areas” are remedied and always kept clean.

When we choose to keep sin a secret, it is as if we give decay a place in the dark corners of our mouth. It is as if the mouth refuses to open to allow the toothbrush it, or allow the dentist to do a check. Decay, or sin, grows most rapidly, when we keep our lives a secret, and refuse to let anyone in

The spiritual principle here is that if we allow secret sin to continue operation in secrecy, the decay will slowly destroy us, and cause us, and the body of Christ, pain eventually.

2. Principle 2: You need to extract all forms of decay – FAST!
When decay sets in, it slowly eats up the whole tooth. When a tooth is decayed, you need to remove it. You cannot let if fester or else further infection will cause greater damage and of course, prolonged pain.

From this, I learned that we need to have a greater sense of urgency and determination to see “sin removed from our lives”. Just as “decay” must be “removed from our lives”

We cannot see sin fester and then keep letting it live on without noticing its toll on our lives. WE DECAY when we sin continually. And it is only a matter of time till we experience the pain. Jesus says “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” Matthew 5:29

What Our Lord is trying to tell us is that we need to deal harshly with the sins in our lives. We tend to excuse ourselves too much, give ourselves too much leeway, loving the old habits again and again! But God is calling us to put a stop to sin. Viciously! Violently! We cannot allow that part of our body to sin, lest it eats us till a point where our whole body has to be thrown into hell.

Deal with the sin today. Don’t give yourself another week to change! Start dealing with the sin today.

3. Principle 3: To enjoy a healthy set of teeth and lifetime of use, brush regularly
Seek God daily, Psalms 139:23 exhorts us to allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts.

“ Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me, and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

When you wake and when you sleep, especially during quiet time, ask God, allow Him time to speak to you about areas that are lacking, or are falling short of His glory. Things which you never thought were displeasing to God can alas appear so filthy under the light of the Holy Spirit.

Our hearts are so deceitful (Jer 17:9), sometimes we overlook our own sinfulness. We really need to get into the daily habit of brushing away the decay that so easily sets upon us, DAILY! Let the Holy Spirit search your life daily; let the Word of God judge the thoughts and attitudes of your heart!(Heb 4:12)

Wow, if only we did this spiritual brushing on our hearts as often as we brush our teeth!

Questions for Reflection
Have I been hiding decay(sin) away in a dark corner?(away from Spiritual guidance and help)
Have we been negligent in “brushing”(dealing with) these areas?
Have we been “hiding”(keeping secret) these areas still in the dark corners so that “decay”(sin) can set in to bring a total corruption of the tooth?
Am I allowing decay to have a place in my life?
Have I been seeking God, allowing Him to show me the areas of my life that need to be dealt with on a daily basis?

Dealing with my sin.
If you know that you need a change, why don’t you start today by asking God to lead you on the path of righteousness? God knows what you are going through, and He desires to lead you back to His side. Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.(Heb 2:18) Share your struggle with someone today, bring the decay into the light and allow a Spiritual overseer to come alongside you to help you as well.

The Tale of the Moth

2006-07-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, I saw a moth buzzing about in the fluorescent light in my room. It was obviously attracted to the light, but it was at the same time getting caught in the lamp cover. It buzzed as it flapped its wings, frantically trying to get out, at the same time throwing up all the other dead insect corpses that were there.

For that moth, this light was attractive, yet deadly.

The moth probably died that day or the next because it could not get out of the trap. But it taught me a lesson about life.

We face many such traps in our everyday lives. All sorts of addictions present themselves to us, ever so attractive at first, but you need just look beyond into the spiritual to see the dead end trap that lies ahead.

One of these traps is described in Proverbs chapter 5 and 6, the trap of the adulteress. We see it on the TV, showing up in programmes such as “desperate housewives”. But this is only one such trap. There are many examples, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can discern the traps that could ensnare us, and with the Word of God, to know how to react when the attractions present themselves.

May God grant us Strength and Wisdom to live victoriously in this dark world, away from the traps of the evil one, as you choose daily to live for Him!

Shoes made for walking

2006-07-15T17:51:00.000-07:00

I happen to own a pair of mountain climbing shoes. The are “Salomon” brand low cut mountain boots. Apart from the stronger laces and thick padding, the one thing that sets this shoe apart is the hard, hi-grip sole. It sports grooves that make it look like it can take on any rock, sand or mud.

But these boots were bought by me, an average urban Singaporean. Most of the time, I use them on marble floors in MRT stations, tiled floors in Shopping centres and Bitumen and Concrete on Roads and Pavements.

One day, I decided to “go off road”; instead of walking the usual pavement walkway from Novena Square to Church, I took these pair of boots across the soggy grass, mud and sand that is found on the field adjacent to Novena Square. At some point, my boots even allowed water halfway up its height. The hard, hi-grip sole worked amazingly on all these surfaces, even on the muddy parts.

I eventually came up with my socks still dry, although the sides of the boots were slightly muddy.

But it made me feel good. Especially knowing that my boots were performing the task they were designed for, and purchased to do. The boots that were made to go through mud were actually going through mud.

You know, it is the same for us Christians. Great joy comes when we see our lives performing the functions we were made to perform.

For example, we were made to be worshippers, and we experience great joy when we give our hearts to God in worship. We saved to be witnesses, and we experience great joy when we testify of the reality of God. We were called to be servants, and we experience great joy when we serve the purposes that God has called us to.

As long as we remain outside of the turf we were made to walk on, we will never see the fulfillment of our purpose and destiny in life.

And many have gone before us in heeding God’s call! Moses, Joshua, David; they all served God’s purpose in their lifetimes, and they witness what God could make out of their lives.

So here’s calling all the Racers, Trainers, Sandals, Soccer Boots, Turf Shoes and Gore-Tex Boots! Know what God has made you to be and start performing those God-given functions! Know the turf God has called you to tread on and start walking in faith. You’ll never be happier knowing that you are doing what you were made to do!

How will you do in your next test?

2006-07-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

I just got Gold for my IPPT last month, still CAT X, 3rd IPPT since I ORDed in 2003.

This IPPT Gold was really an answered prayer. I had trained hard for it, starting to run regularly and diligently twice a week for one month before I actually hit the running track for the test.

I felt such a sense of victory when I met the timing for the run, knowing that I’ll also be eligible for the cash incentive, the prize that awaited me.

Wow! I sometimes feel these moments of triumph in my Christian race as well. When I start behaving differently from the way I used to, when I see ungodly habits breaking, I sense triumph in the air.

But I quickly re-focused myself that day as I walked home from the Physical Fitness Test Centre. The question on my mind was:
“How will I fare in my next test?”

Spirtually, the principle remains. In my area of my greatest struggle, How am I preparing myself to see victory in the trials ahead, even, the next trial ahead? How am I preparing myself? How am I equipping myself?
Victory is lovely, but training comes first. There is no victory without training. And to live in Victory, we need to train.

We need to build ourselves up in the Knowledge of God’s Word. Take the verses that apply to your struggle and memorize them, meditate on them, pray them out, and claim the promises therein.

We need to build ourselves up in prayer. Pray and believe God daily for victory. Take the area of your struggle everyday to God in prayer during Quiet time. Get someone trustworthy to faithfully pray along with you for victory.

We need to build ourselves up in our Spirit Man. Pray in the Spirit daily. Worship God in the Spirit. Invite Him to dwell in you to a fuller measure.
“Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head.”
Ecc 9:8.
Seek for a fresh infilling of God’s Holy Spirit, see for His anointing Daily.
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Freedom” 2 Cor 3:17.

There are many things the Holy Spirit could lead you to do, but you must prepare, you must build yourself up, get ready! Determine that you will see victory at the next test, by God’s grace!

All the best! Go for Gold! Determine that you will give your all for Jesus as you prepare.

Lessons from World Cup 2006

2006-07-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

Ronaldo
I watched Ronaldo play as a younger leaner striker and I wondered to myself, where is the Ronaldo of yesteryear? I look at him now and I know he has got what it takes somewhere inside of him, but somehow, probably due an injry that kept him disabled, lack of discipline and training, he now lacks the strength, stamina and agility to perform to his maximum potential.

The lesson I learnt is that God has given us all a maximum potential, and we must live up to our maximum potential. We must, on our part, be disciplined to undergo training, focus and not be distracted, and pay the price. All the hard work will pay off on the field.

Zidane
What a tragic ending! Zidane’s case teaches me that it is important to finish well. I also learn how important it is to get a grip of my emotions and not let it grip me.
“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” Prov 16:32 KJV

May God give us the grace to compete well and finish well at the end.

Flicker

2006-07-09T04:46:00.000-07:00

Hey! Its me again hope my previous entry was encouraging...
Anyway, I'm not talking bout the internet photo thingy but i was observing the flickering light in my room.
Have you ever seen a flickering light? If you haven't, let me try to describe one for you... a light going off and on and off again, with a low electrical humming buzz that constantly buzzes sometimes louder sometimes softer. Well, if you've never experienced this before, let me be the first one to let ya know that it's ULTRA irritating.
My room has only one light which leaves me with pretty much no choice to stay in the darkness. As i was praying, God showed me something bout the light, that i was like a light that flickered, there sometimes but lapsing into fleshliness and self-centredness once again. So to not make this sound like my own blog, here's where it's applicable to all of us...

How do you fix a flickering light? Sounds quite in line with my previous post right?

Firstly, we need to realise where the problem lies.
The problem doesn't lie with the Source of power, nor is it because the casing is dirty obviously the problem lies with the filament! The core of the lightbulb! For us our very hearts!
As we sing the song "Inside Out", (I have a book by that title) , we must realise how we need to be changed, from the inside out. Our heart needs to be changed and our actions will follow. Only a working filament will be able to reflect the light supplied by it's source of power and it won't make you think of living in darkness when you've seen the light. Its the same thing!

Now how do we do that?
We need to ask God to renew our hearts and minds! And READ His Word and meditate on it allowing it to change our behaviour. If we don't get serious for God now and start spending more time with Him then we will always stay as a flickering light. Obey Him and don't change ya actions change ya heart. Trust God for the inside cause He can work there! God can't stand hypocrites who change only their appearance and what they do, look at the pharisees.

As I say this I mean it for myself! I'm serious I really want to change in my heart! I'm desperate, I really want God to change and transform me. I don't want to be satisfied with just looking okay on the outside cause I know God's still got so much more to deal with me in. And I sincerely hope that all of us will desire so.

Even as we have signed the covenant on the Masterlife book let's really keep our lives and the lives of our friends in check. Till the next time... Lookie at all those lights!

Keeping the flame burning brightly ever...

2006-07-04T06:13:00.000-07:00

How do we stay on fire for God?

Just penning some of my thoughts down hope that this will encourage some! I find that I was asking myself this question recently, why we sometimes can be so on fire after events like church camp or fire conference to cite a few examples but a month or so later lose that passion and zeal. While there are different seasons in our lives, yet there must be more than just being on fire for awhile! So I asked God and He showed me a picture of a fire. If you've ever helped out in BBQs (I hope you have been or else that shows I've been doing too much), you'd see that there are a few elements to having a fire that will give you well cooked tender BBQ goodness.

1) The fire-starter
Ah...this is the encounter with God that is equivalent to the burning bush experience. It must be divine, it must be awesome. Many times we feel that such experience is all too common, but these are the encounters that change men from mere men to men who are ready to serve God. Moses had his, David had his, Ezekiel had his, Peter, Paul, John, James and many more. Many of us have been encountering God! Be it at church camp or during fire conference or during service! But yes alot of us have if you haven't ask God for such a power encounter that will change your life!

2)Fuel
Every now and then we need to add fuel when what is there is already burnt up. This is where we need to ask God to refresh us! I believe adding fuel into our lives is when we go to church weekly and hear God's Word and worship and see what God is doing in the lives of others around us. We need to be committed to coming to church and participating actively in the ministry and the direction the ministry is heading!

3) Fanning the flame
Every fire requires oxygen! I'm sure you've seen a satay man fanning his satay! Fire is fanned by daily commitment. Like it or not, the truth of the matter is that christianity is a conglomeration of daily disciplines that build up our lives for Jesus. There can be no changed state of the soul or mind if you do not allow such thoughts to continue root themselves in your minds. The fact is we need to cry out for the lost daily or else we'll slowly lose the fire and passion in our lives. Try starting a fire and leaving it alone for a long time, we don't even need to extinguish it it'll die out by itself.

Some other notes:
-Our passion is never seen outwardly by the level of emotion and hype! Fires that burn with alot of flame may not be the hottest fires, the white glowing embers are often hotter! It's whats inside that counts and the amount of time and committment we put in, in the secrecy of our prayer closet and in the depths of our thoughts. While flames and smoke will definitely rise up obviously, its easy to tell if someone is really on fire but the real battle is inside you own room when you pray and seek His face.

-As people standing around someone's fire, we are responsible if the fire dies out. Let's be vigilant to see what's happening in the fire's of others around us and not just bystanders. Occasionally some may not be monitoring their fire perhaps more common in people who are inexperienced in the art of BBQing, but when we are nearby we need to help out! Throwing in the fuel of encouragement ever so often, and encouraging each other to fan the fire personally.

-Protecting the flame. Our enemy who wants to stop us from enjoying our BBQ will always extinguish the fire. That's when we need to guard our fire, when our eyes are on the fire the enemy cannot attack it but the enemy often distracts us first with something else of less importance before throwing a pail of water on it! As people who stand aroung we also need to intercede in the situation and chase the enemy away.

Let's all seek to stay on fire and go out and do God's work wherever He has called us to! Let's not after sometime choose to return to our old state of sian-ness and hardness towards the lost, we are responsible with the burdens God has given us!

MAD Ops Order 010706

2006-07-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys, let's continue to press in prayer, as prayer is the pipeline that is connected to our powerhouse - Lord Jesus. Let's continue to believe for the things we have asked for, and not let doubt be found anywhere in our minds.

Pray for:
1. The move of the Spirit in our midst may continue. We believe that God is doing something deeper in our lives in the Spirit. A new season of a greater move of the Holy Spirit in our lives in the lifegroup and the ministry. Pray that we will not quench the move of the Spirit by our doubts and disobedience, but jump right into what God is doing, and co-labour with Him!

2. A deeper consecration. As we fight every man’s battle in our life, let's ask God to do a deeper cleansing work in our lives. As we prayed today during our lifegroup 2pm prayer, I had a revelation on sin. When we actively reject sin, we walk away from Sodom and Gomorrah. As we recall the story of Lot's escape when God destroyed the city of Sodom and Gomorrah, they were commanded not to look back at the city. Lot's wife disobeyed, turned her eyes to the city, and God turned her into a pillar of salt. As we flee from the chains of Sodom and Gomorrah, we must not look back at it, for sin offers attractive pleasures. When we reject our sinful habits, it leaves a vacuum in our lives. This vacuum can only be filled by two things - the same old sin, or the love of God. So as we flee Sodom and Gomorrah, let us turn our eyes and walk in the direction to Bethel, the House of God, and let His magnificent love replace the vacuum that was left. As the sin diminishes in our life, let God's all-consuming love fill in an even greater measure each day!

3. Reach one soul this week! Evangelism should be second nature to a Christian. A Christian that doesn't evangelize is a Christian that rejects the Great Commission. Read again - GREAT COMMISSION. The call to make His Name known to all tribe and tongue is not a choice for us; it is the GREAT COMMISSION. Pray that instead of fear, we will find faith rising up to believe that as we preach the Gospel, God may use us to speak forth His message of Calvary. And remember, according to the Gospel of Mark, we are to PREACH the Gospel, not argue or debate, but just PREACH. It's time for us to plunder hell, populate heaven!

4. Moving in the gifts of the Spirit; minister to one another. Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke mentioned something very true. We Christian often say we don't have the power to do the things of God, because we don't actively do those things! That's why the power cannot be displayed! The power which has been given to us can only be shown when we function in what the power was given to us for! How can the disciples believe that the power promised to them by the Risen Christ has already been given to them unless they stepped out and became the witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth the power had equipped them to be? Let's not just move in the natural realm; let's move in the supernatural!

And as Brother Alfred saw the vision of a garang man holding onto a cross and giving a loud and mighty war cry, let us hold on to the cross each day, and let us arise with God together!

Keep Our Eyes on God.

2006-06-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

As we all know, our ministry is entering a new season of moving in the Spirit. There's an unprecedented visitations of angelic beings. People are seeing visions, hearing words, new songs are arising - we are entering a new period in our ministry where God is doing something. And though we thank God for sending His ministering angels to us, we must not lose sight of The Mighty One of Israel.

Continue to look to God, as did the righteous kings of old. In a particular account found in 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat, a righteous king of Judah, found himself facing off with the combined might of Moab, Ammon, and the Meunites.

He was not prepared for war, and instead of fretting and desperately seeking help from foreign "powerful" nations, listen to what he has to say...

"O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.

But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."

And the Mighty One of Israel indeed heard his prayers.

"Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you."

How would we react in the face of such adversary? How would we respond in the face of such amounting odds? Would we fret and give up hope? Would we run or surrender, and be taken captive?

What would we do? What would you do? What would I do?

Seek His face, not only His glory. Seek Him with all your heart, and as He has promised He shall be found. As did the Kings of old kept their eyes on God, let us walk in the footsteps of such mighty company of old and keep our eyes fixed on God, the Author and Perfecter of Our Faith.

MAD Ops Orders.

2006-06-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." ~ Ephesians 6:17 - 19

Please direct all prayers at our designated targets as given below.

1. Pray for our fellow brother Yen Soon who's away in Brunei for training. Pray that he'll not lose heart in the jungles of Brunei, and that he may encounter God in a unique way. Of course do pray for his safety.

2. Pray for our PC Jachin who is undergoing InCamp Training for this week. Pray that he may be a faithful witness for Jesus wherever he goes, and that the hearts of those around him may be soften to the Gospel.

3. Pray for Youth Sunday 020706. Pray that God may move in the hearts of those who do not know Jesus yet. Pray for those serving - Pastor Ben (preaching) and Jeremy/Emma (Worship Leading). Let's believe in our hearts that God can do mighty wonders in our midst.

4. Pray for the saints. Pray for the Church, the ministry, the leaders, and for one another in the cell. Remember, you can't flank unless someone cover-fires for you. Pray for - 1. The unity of the Church, that division will not find it's way into the church. 2. Pray for the leaders that they might hold onto the vision that God has given them to their cells. 3. Pray that the saints would continue to stand their ground against the relentless assault of the enemy.

Believe and claim the victory in the authority given to us in the name of Jesus. We are not soldiers with sticks and stones; we're soldiers armed with mighty spiritual weapons to demolish strongholds and every pretension that seeks to exalt itself above Christ. Pray in the Spirit, in season and out season.

We are in a war here, whether you like it or not. And in this war, there are real casualties.

So pray, and keep watch.

Victus Victoria

2006-05-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

What does victory in Him means?

I thought that very honest time of sharing at our previous life group was a very heartening experience, half of the power of the secret sin is broken when it is exposed. The truth is so we are all very much less perfect then the picture we like to put up among others, and perhaps it's the enemy's plan to try to make us keep up apperances.

And breaking that facade is a good start in unraveling that plan, I just hope that everybody has the good wisdom and grace to see each other through these times as we (perhaps the first time for some of us) try to walk towards victory and freedom in Him. I don't think it will be easy, but I know that through Him all things are possible. No thing of the heart can be so black that He can't make white with His blood as long as we remain humble and contrite enought to accept that process of change.

It is possible, and maybe realizing that is it is the start of victory.

Victory, not of the kind of the world which makes us gloat about our physical winnings and go home empty-hearted, but of His kind of a quiet confidence that knows we have overcome the world and the darkest parts of ourselves through Him. The true parade of joy and freedom that is found when that which is wrong that rules is finally put down and the real thing ruling in it's place.

His things.

Assemble the Heros.

2006-05-28T05:48:00.000-07:00

"...the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it." Matthew 11:12

I have Arrived.

2006-05-28T05:36:00.000-07:00

This place has been kinda dead for the past few months. So sent I to inject new life, as long as it is permitted within my busy schedule.

Do please forgive me of my grammer, and my mostly military jargon which will be widely used in this MAD website. Well, this IS a ARMY lifegroup isn't it? So please, before the great and glorious day known as the ORD Day descend upon us, bear with me yeah?

"MAD: We shall not be moved..."

...and on this rock i will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not overcome it.

Dominic, your glorious comrade in Christ.

It's been awhile...

2006-04-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

Well many people to pray for! Just to keep everyone updated on who needs prayer...
Let's pray for Eugene who's being graded for unarmed combat this week, Dominic who has driving and Shaun whose exams are around this time!

Let's not be slack in praying and seeking God in a deeper manner. If we are not growing then it's time that we evaluate our lives and ask God to show us why. Let's move on and grow in spiritual things and spiritual desires!

A Call to Arms

2006-03-27T06:51:00.000-08:00

Hey! This place has been rather empty for some time well, it's time to repair the doors and open them once again eh?
Let's take up our weapons and start the fight, however the weapons of our warfare are not rifles or any other firearm but thru prayer and fasting let us go forth in battle! In view of Good Friday and Easter that is coming in 3 weeks, lets step up and start praying and interceding for our friends and family. If recently you haven't been praying and seeking God, let us take steps to repair the temple which is our lives and grab hold of what God is doing at this time. Disciplined and diligent prayer led by the Holy Spirit will definitely make an impact! Let us set aside time no matter how inconvenient and precious and seek His face, feel His heartbeat and take on His thoughts and act accordingly.
The battle is won on our knees!

24 km route march

2006-03-07T06:23:00.000-08:00

Please pray for Clarence Stephen as he embarks on his 24km route march this week!

010306- Blog Issues!

2006-03-01T05:33:00.000-08:00

Hey fellow MADders!

This place has been running for quite a while now and I must apologize that it is of yet still so rudimentary. Truth is I didn't quite expected to get myself involved in being one of those involved in taking care of this place, and have thought that/tried to limit my role to that of which is just technical assistance.

But in the end it is our blog, and more explicitly it is God's blog. As it is linked to our cell, and consequently the ministry, I feel that it ought to have some purpose and reason for it being. Maybe we had a vague notion of what we could do with it but I feel that blogging if anything (as something I have learned from over 2 years of experience), needs to be purposeful if it is useful or fruitful.

So this is the question that we need to ask, what do we really want to see in this place? And what do we want it to be used for? I've finally gotten around to the code so that anybody can comment (I've realized that there was a bug on the commenting system) so fire away MADders.

I have a few ideas for this place, and many of them are technical and aesthetic. To change the look and technical function of this blog to be more congruous with our theme, but all these are but for the content that has to be provided by anybody, in any way idea of form that we have yet to discuss and think of. What do we want to write in here? That is the main question.

It's all yours now, so fire away.

fire and rain

2006-02-26T06:15:00.000-08:00

we been through fire
we been through rain
we fought through so much
for what little gain

only You can make good
out of anything

through it all
is it too much
live life that's You for?

live for You

Am i unable to live the Christian life?

2006-02-26T05:49:00.000-08:00

1. Do I have the faith to believe
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Rom 10:17
The Word of God reveals to us the truths of God
The Word of God reveals to us our true destinies
The Word of God encourages us to press on for him
The Word of God warns us of impending judgment
The Word of God judges the thoughts and attitudes of our heart.
Have you been rooted in the Word of God?
The Word of says that if you love His law so much, you will never stumble. Ps 119:165. It also says that His Word will direct you along correct paths, and show you the truth-reality of things in your life. Ps 119:105. It is described as the sword of the Spirit, and Jesus was used the Word of God to defeat the temptatious attacks of Satan, after fating for forty days and nights. Luke 4.
We need to be firmly rooted in the Word of God, if we are to live for Him this year.
2. Do I have a pure unadulterated love?
Our hearts were made to handle just ONE desire
If we harbour many conflicting desires, even if it were 2 conflicting desires, we would never have the determination to run the race for Him
What are the desires in your heart right now?
Are they desires for the Lord?
Are are there spots of desires that blemish the white canvas of your heart?
---you see, the heart does not consist of blood. It consists of desires. And if these desires are Godly, its as if a spot of white is added to the canvas. And if there are desires that are selfish, wicked, vile, compromising (falling short of the Glory of God), then they are blemishes.
We pray: Give us pure heart. Examine the desires in our hearts today.
Are there things we know are sin, and yet we try to justify by our reasoning?
Are there issues that God has been convicting us, and yet we constantly harden our heart, and "force" the conviction to wear away?
These blemishes in your heart will destroy you!!!
Blessed are the Pure in Heart! For they shall see God! Matthew 5:8
Do you want to see God?
Do you want to walk in intimacy with him?
Do you want to see your life so sold out, your heart so humbled, your testimony so blameless, that God could use you so readily to do his will? Cleanse not only the outside, but also the inside of yourself, God vessel! 2 Tim 2:20. Be an instrument of righteousness, not wickedness! Rom 6:13
Only a pure unadulterated heart could produce pure unadulterated love for God.
Paul asked God for one thing Philippians 3:13
David asked God for one thing Ps 27:4
Ask God to search your heart today. As he reveals the desires which are displeasing to him, repent of them, and commit that area, lay claim that area of your life to God once again.

3. Do I reside with idols?
If your heart were a HDB flat, what would God see inside of it?
Guan gong? Guan Yin?...
Of course I’m talking about something else…
The idols I’m referring to are seemingly Permanent structures of our desires/lifestyle that get in the way of intimacy with God. These are things which we adore greatly, and bow down to. These are things, which we spend our lives pursuing. Things we lift our "SOULS!" to Ps 27:4
For example, the attraction of our computer lures us away from our quiet time. Completing the next stage of the game seems to be of more value and worth, compared to listening to the Father’s heart. Instead of worshipping the creator, we end us worshipping the created.
This is just one example, of how a seemingly permanent facet of our life seems to lodge itself in such a position to block or obscure our passage to intimacy with God.
We need to get our sledgehammers ready; we need to smash the idols, as the Ephesians did to their scrolls Acts 19:19
What about the magazines we read, and the music we listen to? The partner we choose for life? Do they glorify God? Are we willing to give up these things if intimacy with God demands their being cut-off? Remove the idols from your room, your bed, your cupboard, and your wallet, your LIFE!
4. How have you been dealing with Sin?
Sin is spelt with a capital S because it can be a big problem.
If your life is going to be destroyed, it is not because you are incompetent in the workplace, you have, among classmates, a lower IQ, or the economy crashed, or a tsunami swept through your area.
It is because you allowed sin a room to reside in your life.
Our God has a plan and purpose for your life Jeremiah 29:11. The devil to has a plan and purpose for your life. And his plan is to kill, steal and destroy you Jn 10:10, in such a way, that you could never serve God effectively, or make a difference to either build God’s kingdom, nor be on the attack against Satan’s kingdom.
And he does this by accusation. Accuse you for what? For the sins we commit. You see, when we sin, we lose the confidence before God to ask for anything 1 John 3:21. We lose the love for God when we disobey his commands 1 John 5:3. We open our lives to the evil one for him to influence us, and lead us into deeper sin. James 1:14
But remember….
God will bring us into judgment for our willful sin.
The Bible says that if we shrink back, to the old life we used to live, He will not be pleased with us. Heb 10:38. We mock the Work of Christ’s death Heb 6:6 and resurrection. It also says we may fall like the Israelites did in the desert, never seeing the promised land.
Sinful desires will not be satisfied.
Godless desires will never be satisfied. Have you ever seen a drunkard drink his last bottle of beer and say he’s had enough? Have you ever seen a man with a promiscuous lifestyle, going to sleep around, and then say that he’s satisfied? What about drugs, smoking, pornography, and all the other intoxicating pleasures we exchange our lives to live for? Any of these things have satisfied any of its customers? Yet God satisfies all God given desires with good things
Psalms 103:5.
How have we been dealing with sin? Have we been noticing it? Tolerating it? Avoiding it? Or fleeing from it?

Flee from temptation
What does it mean to flee? Have you watched King Kong? How did the people in that movie flee from that giant creature?
They ran at the first sight of him
They ran intensely
They ran unceasingly

How then shall we live the Christian life this year of 2006?
So, if we are to be running the race this year, let us:
Word: Faith
Priorities: Let Love for God be your one greatest most intense love in your heart
Idols: Destroy all idols
Deal with Sin: Flee all evil desires; have nothing to do with them
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.2 Tim 2:22
†10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For 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. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Eph 6:10
Pray!
Oh Lord, empower me to do your will. Give me such a soft and broken and contrite heart before you, to accept all your ways, which are so much higher than mine. And give me the strength to carry on daily seeking You.
-PC Jachin

Navigation

2006-02-23T08:16:00.000-08:00

Hi all...
Let's really pray and seek God for how He wants us to serve Him as an army ministry. It's something that we really need that direction from God on where to act, otherwise our self-led ministry will definitely fail! Do share all thoughts with Jachin and Shaun. Let's really where we as tools can be utilised to our full potential, tools that will bring God glory.
There'll be life group on the coming Saturday so don't forget to bring and do masterlife that the discussion may be fruitful and enriching, lets also put into practice what we learnt thru the sermon to come expecting something in the worship service and praying expectantly for it.

SIT test, Field Camp and India!

2006-02-15T07:36:00.000-08:00

Lets continue to pray for our BMT boys. Yen soon who is in SIT test and CK who is still in field camp.

lets also not forget our brother Brandon who is still currently in India. Lets not forget to support all of them in prayer!

Holiness

2006-02-15T07:17:00.000-08:00

In the recent prayer meeting on the 11th of February, there was really an extremely deep conviction of holiness. We fell on our knees, confessing our sins. To God, holiness is really of such great importance, the very reason He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us is to put us in a position where He can forgive us but thats not the end, it's to free us from the sin that so often entangles us. Jesus had to suffer so much for our sins on the cross for the very reason that God could not under any other circumstance pardon our sins. Let's really develop a personal conviction of holiness and walk in obedience to His love.

the unseen soldiers

2006-02-06T02:23:00.000-08:00

in the island of the lion
stood the feet of a few
who fought as the soldiers
in a war they only knew

into the paths of unseen
did their battle draw
where enemies were not of flesh
but of unwritten laws

a earthly ignobility
to give up the ways of creation
but for the rest of us
their shame was our salvation

For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against authorities and powers, against the world-rulers of this dark night, against the spirits of evil in the heavens.

Apostle Paul, Ephesians 6:12

Who wants kebabs?

2006-02-03T06:22:00.000-08:00

This was the turkish restaurant.

India

2006-02-03T05:54:00.000-08:00

Brandon is leaving for India on the 4th of Feb and will be gone for 2 weeks! Lets keep him in our prayers thru this time that God will keep him safe thru his trip and also that God will speak to him in this foreign land.This was a photo we took when we went out with him for dinner recently. Cool stuff eh? We ate at a Turkish restaurant in Shaw Towers.

Field Camp!

2006-02-03T05:43:00.000-08:00

Hey all! Do pray for the following personnel during their field camp in the coming week!
Yen Soon, Chim Keng and Daniel. Yup...Lets really hold them up in prayer remembering how tough our own field camp was. Lets really pray that they will really rely on God and learn to rely on God though physically they may be tired!

Prayer Requests

2006-01-24T07:55:00.000-08:00

Lets hold Daniel in our prayers this week as he goes thru field camp. I'm sure those of us who have been thru it can remember it relatively well so please pray as the Lord leads for him.

Also lets pray for Jachin who's having his TP (driving test) on the 25th in the morning!

The Prodigal Son

2006-01-24T07:35:00.000-08:00

I titled this entry The Prodigal Son after something we prayed for on Saturday ( 21st Jan '06 or in more familiar terms 210106). Something that God impressed on our hearts on Saturday during the prayer meeting at 2pm in the basement was a deep conviction of holiness. We spent sometime praying about it and confessing our personal sins to God, asking for His forgiveness and to help us overcome our sins. God also showed us that so often we are like the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) who wanting his inheritance to go out into the world and satisfy his fleshly desires, left the home of his Father, enjoyed the pleasures of sin for a short time and ended up in hard labor, feeding pigs and more often than not being fed with the pigs. We so often too seek worldly pleasures and end up suffering in sin and bondage. Lets also see the love of the Father for His prodigal son, He ran out to welcome his son who had fallen away and clothed him once again in clean clothes and jewellery.
Let us seek to live a lifestyle of holiness, not seeking the fleshly pleasures of sin and what the world can offer. Also lets thank God for His grace cause there've been times when we've all fallen and chose ungodly lives to satisfy our flesh and yet God still never let go of us and when we chose to turn back to Him, welcomed us so readily not holding our sins against us.

The Very First Post

2006-01-24T05:18:00.000-08:00

Hi all and welcome to this blog chronicling the life of MAD, the militant (not to mention police) branch of Revival Generation!

Sincerely hope that in time this blog may serve many functions. Administrative and encouraging. Yup, so do feel free to share anything, any prayer requests, testimonies or simple notes of encouragement to anyone in the Life Group. Such things must go thru PC Jachin or PS Shaun at this point of time while we're still working out all the finnicky details. This blog really belongs to everyone so do inject some of yourself into this blog yeah? Ya never know how something ya say may bless someone else...