Believing and confessing

At the moment I am reading through the book of Romans in the bible a verse stood out to me that I read that I wanted to share. 'For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.' Romans 10:9-11

The reason why this verse stood out to me is because it perfectly sums up how you truly become a christian. Some people may think its a complicated process, but really its not if we believe in our heart and say with our mouth that Christ is the risen Lord we will be saved. I have always told my friends or those who have asked me about christianity that it is a personal relationship with God not a religion. I think that is really important for everyone to realise and know, God is longing for a personal and intimate relationship with each and everyone of us :) all we gotta do is open our hearts to him.

Relationships...sigh

Ever since I have turned 25, i have had countless comments related to relationships...sigh. I have struggled with this especially due to pressure from my mum, I personally am happy being single. I am an independent gal and love having time to be able to spend with my friends.

But lately the idea and motivation to put myself out there to be able to meet 'Mr Right' has been going through my mind. I think mainly due to peoples comments it has made me think a lot more, with that said I have always come back to the reminder that God loves me and has a great plan for me, God is my King, lover of my soul, best friend & father. So it doesn't matter anyway, God will always be the lover of my soul I do not need a guy to make me happy. I want to focus on God and not on things like relationships, my relationship with God is the most important relationship of all and I am so thankful I have the opportunity to have a personal relationship with him. I pray that all those who do not know him especially those closest to me will have the chance to experience a personal relationship with the Lord as well :)

Proverbs 4:23 says "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." I have learnt that relationships aren't easy, God wants us to guard our hearts at all times this is so important, do not be fooled by your emotions or what people say. God will show you when the time is right :)

Thoughts

Looks like this blogging is gonna be a monthly thing...sigh

I don't know why I'm always so busy... even my flatmates mock me all the time about not being home lol.

God has tested me in so many ways especially in my patience, he has once again shown me how many wonderful friends I have in my life.

I am now officially 25...sigh...time has gone so fast! quarter of a century already...

This month, I have thought about joining Jesus for the homeless a group of people who go out and befriend the homesless, by taking time to talk to them and give them free food and drinks :)

I have also started learning the guitar, which has been great fun! I hope it can be another way I can worship the Lord, through song :)

Dramas Dramas dramas! But God is always faithful & in Control

Its been a while since I've blogged, the last month has been a bit of a roller coaster ride. God has really tested me mentally & emotionally. I have been through some ups and downs, felt weak and a failure to God. But in the end God has always been there for me, he has given me opportunities to grow closer to him, grow closer to friends, be there to support friends & also be supported by friends :)

I have found myself feeling depressed & angry. But what helped me to over come feeling like this I talked to God about it, something amusing happened I came home the other night really angry and was talking to God about how angry I was, the next morning my flatmate said "I heard you last night stomping around and could hear you talking to yourself, you sounded really angry..." They thought I was talking to myself but I wasn't I was talking to God the whole time lol.

Two passages from the bible have really helped me to get over all this anger and depression :)

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
'Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.'

Phillipians 4:4-7
'Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.'

No matter what happens, whether it may feel like the whole world is falling down on you. Be Joyful! if someone has made you upset, pray & give thanks! if you feel like you have failed God or If you are worried about something, rejoice in the Lord! God will give you peace!

A compassionate God and God of all comfort :)

'Praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God' 2 Cor 1:3-4

This verse was one of the scriptures from the bible I read this week, and it really stood out to me. I've been able to go sit in St Patricks Square during my lunch breaks and just enjoy praying to God and reflect. It amazes me how fast the year is going, its almost the end of March!!

Just reflecting on where I was in my life at the beginning of the year, and where I am now and how I'm feeling. It amazes me how God has built me up within such a short period of time. I went from being depressed and sad that this year was going to be a horrible year to being really happy and loving this year, wanting to make the most of it. Having realised I might be going overseas to work next year, so I really want to make the most of this year and spend as much time with my family and friends, especially the friends that I haven't seen in ages! I thought it would take me ages to get through that period, but God is faithful & always there in times of trouble just as it says in the scripture.

The scripture is true for me, because God was there for me through that tough time and really was my comfort and was compassionate towards me. For me I feel so happy to be able to comfort and support my friends through their tough times, being a witness of Gods compassion and comfort.

Oh the pain!

After a very hectic weekend I woke up this morning to an aching body. Having done Round the Bays, played an indoor netball game and had an intense basketball practice. The whole day it hurt to sit, stand and walk lol...sigh

I'm planning to play in an Easter sports tournament with The New Zealand Chinese Association, which is held in Wellington. I've signed up to play basketball, indoor netball & netball :) Should be fun!

Guess last weekend was a bit of a snap shot of how Easter tourney will be like.... man I need to try get more fit :)

No pain no gain I guess....

You never know! Gods great Plan! :)

Last night I went to visit an old colleague who I hadn't caught up with in ages. She has been a huge encouragement to me, being christian and gone through so much, she is like a roll model to me :)

We had a great time just catching up with each other :) She said one really interesting thing that really encouraged me. Which was 3 years ago she would of never imagined she would be where she is today. Three years is a long time but in a way its a short time, within that time she had met her partner, married and had a little baby boy! she told me that when she looks back and reflects you really see how God has put everything together and how it all just fits together. But you don't realise it at the time, what happens to us is beyond our understanding. You never know what will happen!

This was really encouraging for me to be reminded, I've always known God has a great plan for me. He has a plan and purpose for each and every person on this Earth! :)

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.'

I place it all into your hands Lord

God has it all under control :)

Yesterday I got a call from my mum to tell me that my dad was in hospital! of course I thought of the worst when I heard this and got really worried and upset. His wrist had swollen up so much that it was causing him a lot of pain. So the family doctor told him he had to go to Auckland hospital to get blood tests and x-rays done, he had to stay over night for observation. As soon as I heard this I could only think of praying to God for healing and to give my dad strength, because he has been really weak lately :(

Not only this but two days before my mum told me that they almost had a fire at their house! luckily the neighbors saw the smoke and called the fire service. With these two major things so closely together I felt as though God might of been telling me to go back home to live so I could look after my parents, I emailed a couple of friends about this who advised me that I couldn't have done anything even if I was home, those things would of happened regardless. I cant help feeling bad that I'm not home looking after them, I have this fear of losing my parents :( But from this I have learnt that God answers prayers, because I went home today and my dad was walking around the house and his wrist was a bit better :) praise God!

Just like in the bible when Jesus says "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." (Matt 21:21-23)

Now that doesn't mean that we can pray for anything and it will happen, but what it is emphasising is the importance of faith in prayer. It is easy enough to just pray but to truly believe that God can answer your prayer and in his own time requires faith.

Friends come friends go...the Lord is always Faithful

I've learnt the Lord puts people in your life at a particular time for a reason, but in the same way he takes people out of your life for a reason as well. When you reflect back on your life to where you are now, you will see how God has put all the pieces of the puzzle together without you even knowing and you'll see why you are where you are and who you are today.

'The Lord is fair in everything he does and full of kindness. He is close to all who call on him sincerely. He fulfills the desires of those who reverence and trust him, he hears their cries for help and rescues them. He protects all those who love him.' Psalm 145.

This Psalm was really close to my heart yesterday, because it reminded me that God will rescue me and is always looking out for me and will always protect me. He wants whats best for me, we probably cant see it through the hard truth at the time when a friend says or does something hurtful. But he really does want the best for us, for me I have to continue to remember this and consistently pray to him :)

He has shown me that he brings friends back into your life as well, when the time is right. Just recently a friend who used to be really close to me started communicating with me after half a year of non existent contact, I was like wow this is really awesome Lord! . On that same day another friend who I hadn't heard from since December txted me just to say that they were thinking of me lately so thought they would txt me, how encouraging is that! :) God really knows what hes doing, he does things in his own time so be patient with him only he knows when the right time is for you. Put your trust in God, he has a purpose for your life

Jer 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."

His great Love for us :)

Lamentations 3:22-23 says 'because of the Lords great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.'

God has really given me the strength to face a lot this year. I have continuously been challenged with my patience and grace. The last couple of weeks especially I have taken the wrong path, I have had a lot of anger inside me and delt with things in the wrong way. But God is always faithful he will pull you back on the right path, even if you don't like what you hear or experience.

Like the scripture from bible says, his love is great and his compassions never fail. I pray each and every person will be able to experience his great love for them. Which is shown in his one and only son Jesus Christs death on the cross, who has released us from our sins because he was sinless and died on that cross for each and everyone of us. He longs to have a relationship with each person, I am so thankful to be reminded even more so this week that he is always there for me through the good and the bad. To know he has a great plan for me, regardless of the past :)

Forgiveness :)

The other night I went to Greenlane Christian Centre hoping to check out their youth group. But when I got there it wasn't on, I found out there were bible study groups on that night. So I thought to myself why not since I'm here, and to my surprise a lady named Maria who I had done an alpha course with 5 years ago was there! I hadn't seen her in ages, it was nice to catch up.

The topic they were studying that night was on forgiveness, something that I'm really struggling with at the moment :( It was nice to just share what I was going through with these women and not feel scared. We all shared our life experiences and it was great how we could all relate to each other :)

There were so many verses that we looked at that night, but the couple of verses that stood out to me were..

Ephesians 4:32

'Be kind to one another, forgiving each other , just as Christ God forgave you'

Romans 5:8

'But God Demonstrates his own love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.'

These really helped me and made me think a lot about how I should love and forgive those who have hurt me, because Jesus has forgiven me and he has lead by example. It also said in the scriptures that we read, which I have heard before but it really spoke to me that night was Matthew 5:43-44 when Jesus says 'You have heard that it was said love your neighbor and hate your enemy , but I tell you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you'

It reminded me of how I should always be praying for those who have hurt me, regardless of all the hurt they have caused me. That is what Jesus taught and that is what God wants us to do, we need to be the better person, we need to be humble and love and pray for them. A question came up during the study "by forgiving them, does that mean we let them off the hook and the consequences? this was a tough question, but in the end we decided that no it doesn't mean they are off the hook or don't have to face the consequences. We agreed that forgiveness is a choice we all make, we can choose to forgive but that doesn't mean its ok for what they did.

To me now forgiveness means the demonstration of mercy and love towards someone who has hurt or offended you, with the goal of reconciliation with them. Gods forgiveness is the outpouring of abundant grace and mercy that provides pardon to the guilty. Forgiveness does not necessarily mean a release from the consequences of actions but it does provide full release from the guilt and shame of the wrongdoing.

Often it is hard to forgive those who hurt us deeply, but how can we not forgive in the light of his supreme sacrifice. I guess for me this has helped me a lot as I accept Gods forgiveness I will draw on the strength to forgive others.

I need to forgive myself first and then ask him to help me forgive those who have hurt me no matter how long it will take, I cant in my own strength 'I can do everything through him who strengthens me' (philippians 4:13)

I know he got me to randomly attend that bible study for a reason, he knows this is something I am struggling with. Thankyou Lord great is your faithfulness

Blessed with friends :)

God has really shown me over the last couple of months how many wonderful friends I have that care about me :)

I have been encouraged time and again and told to look after myself, I met with a friend to talk and pray the other day. This is what friendship is about :) to be able to meet up talk, listen to one another and support each other through prayer.

Lord you are my saviour, best friend, father and King. You are the only one I can always rely on, thankyou for being there for me in the good times and the bad. Especially now where I have to make important decisions. Thankyou for all the wonderful friends you have blessed into my life.

God teaches us something everyday, for me it has been reminded and appreciating all the friendships he has blessed me with :)

Why are you testing me Lord?

God has really tested me already this year. Especially with my patience in the last month, I've had to realise that things happen and are out of my control. God tests us even though things may seem like there going fine in our lives.

I thought 2010 was going to be a great year for me, I had a promotion lined up and all these amazing trips organised and I had built great friendships. It felt like it was going to be a year full of happiness for me :) But God tests you for the good and the bad, in my case this testing made me realise alot of things and helped me re-focus on what is important to me in my life, that is my friends, family and God.

I have found myself praying alot more lately which is awesome! cos that has been something I have struggled with last year, forgetting to spend time praying to God

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:24)

Summer 2010: Tongariro Crossing

Feb 5-7 2010

Tongariro crossing was amazing! I got to go with some aunties from church as well as some friends :)

The walk itself was hard to begin with, as there were a lot of stairs. But it was all worth it, awe inspiring scenery. The outlook from the top was amazing, and again made me really appreciate Gods wonderful creation. There was a part that was down hill that was all rock & you had to basically slide down the whole way, I seriously feared for my life at that part and prayed whilst doing it :) luckily everyone was ok in the end, apart from a few minor injuries. Thanks Lord for keeping us safe and watching over us!

I would definitely recommend the walk to anyone who is thinking of doing it.

A couple of us went swimming in Lake Taupo after the walk which was nice and refreshing, would definitely do it again :)

Summer 2010: Omaha!

30 Jan-1 Feb: Omaha!

Myself and 7 friends were blessed enough to have the opportunity to stay at a friends aunts three bedroom bach in Omaha over Auckland Anniversary weekend. It was amazing! we had the 1st floor to ourselves with its own kitchen :)

The beach was amazing and again another opportunity to embrace Gods wonderful creation. Boogey boarding was first on the agenda, gotta love it!

Snorkling at Goat Island was so much fun! altho the water wasnt as clean as I remembered and the fish were scared off lol.

Biking around the area was nice, got to see all the development happening in the area. So many massive amazing houses!

We watched the whole series of The Big Bang theory, we all got hooked on it haha!

It was a really nice relaxing weekend away with friends and I'm so thankful God gave us all that opportunity to get away, enjoy each others company and his magnificent glory

Summer 2010 -South Island trip with my parents

God has blessed me with so many opportunities this Summer, I have been able to see so much of his beautiful creation :)

Jan 14-20: South Island trip with my parents

Hanmer Springs-Fox Glacier-Cromwell-Wanaka-Queenstown-Dunedin-Christchurch

This year I had the choice to do a South Island trip with some close friends or to try convince my parents to let me take them, because I knew they had wanted to for a while & knew I wouldn't be able to take them any other time. So in the end I organised a trip with my parents, which may sound lame just me and my parents haha, but I love them so much I wanted to :) I enjoy looking after my parents as cheesy as that sounds lol their getting old and I've got plenty of other opportunities to road trip with friends :)

Flying into Christchurch it was amazing to see it from a birds eye view, how God has put this big jigsaw puzzle together. Hanmer Springs was nice and peaceful, it was nice to just relax in the hot pools and it was cool to see my parents being able to enjoy just relaxing :)

Fox Glacier, was amazing! we did the half day walk, it was sad that my dads legs gave in and he couldn't get to walk on the ice :( so I had to do it without them. It was incredible! was such a hot day and to see all the different formations on the glacier was amazing! I was in awe of being surrounded by Gods spectacular creation.

We stopped in Cromwell to pick cherries! that was so much fun! my mum enjoyed it alot, by the end of the trip we had eaten so much cherries! haha. Wanaka was beautiful, there was a marathon on and there were heaps of people. We went to puzzle world which was fun, I'm glad my parents liked it.

I love Queenstown! we got upgraded into a suite! :) so I cooked pasta for my parents one night :) My mum loved it cos she got to relax in the spa pool and sauna. I got convinced to go Jet boating, which was an awesome experience! We went for a walk along the lake it was nice and peaceful being surrounded by mountains, and I spent that time reflecting and thanking God for the amazing things I had seen.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:20)

Dunedin was nice, we got to walk up and down the steepest street in the World with my mum :) my parents finally got to see the Chinese Gardens & uni. But most of all Dunedin was special cos I got to catch up with my friend Jun and Kareena :) I got to have coffee, go the waterfront and have ice-cream with Jun. I got to have dinner with Kareena at her Grandpas restaurant & got to shout her and my parents a meal :) We found out my parents knew her Grandpa lol small world..

We got upgraded in Christchurch aswell, this time to a two bedroom! was so nice! I got to catch up with my friend Jess and we had dinner with my sisters boyfriends family. It was nice to catch with everyone :)

I am so thankful to the Lord for this time I could bond with my parents & experience the beautiful wonder of his creation in the South Island! Lord thankyou for blessing me with such wonderful parents! who I love so much :)

To blog or not to blog?

I've never been much of a blogging person cos I've never had the time, but with all thats been going on in my life so far in 2010 I've felt God speak to me about starting a blog so I can express myself and share with others what he is doing in my life & they can hopefully be encouraged :) so here goes, we'll see how long it lasts haha!