Mind Management

Managing your mind should be one of your top priorities. Your mind is like a computer, it only spits out the data you feed it. Winners work hard at investing the right material inside themselves.

Dr. Hans Selye researched and popularised a tiny membrane in the back of our head known as the RAS: Reticular Activating System. Your RAS has a primary function: it moves you in the direction of your dominant thought at that moment. We naturally act on what fills our minds. When we become preoccupied with a thought, eventually we want to act on it. This explains a lot of things - like why so many rapes happen after guys have watched pornography night after night. It also explains the huge amount of violence among young people between the ages of 12 and 24. By then the average young person has seen more than 4,000 murders on TV, not to mention video games. Indiana University School of Medicine studied how the images we see impact our brains. For instance, adolescents who'd a higher level of exposure to violence had reduced levels of cognitive function. The more violence they saw the less thinking, learning, reasoning and emotional stamina they had. The garbage they fed their minds affected what came out. Their computer stored the wrong information - now they could only retrieve the wrong stuff.

The apostle Paul didn't know about computers. But he knew about agriculture: "The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life" (Gal 6:8 NIV). So, manage your mind!

God Will Bring You Through

The God of all comfort - 2 Corinthians 1:3 NIV

God can bring you through situations you think you won't survive, or feel you'll be stuck in forever. He can make you comfortable in the most uncomfortable places, and give you peace in the midst of trauma. Before your life is over you'll live, love, and experience loss. Losing some things will actually help you to appreciate the things you still have. It's the taste of failure that makes success sweet. You'll live each day not knowing what tomorrow holds, but confident that God has your tomorrows all planned out. They're not in the hands of your boss or your banker or your mate or anybody else. Nor are they in your own hands to manipulate and control. No, all your tomorrows are in God's hands.

Just because you don't recognise the path you're on doesn't mean that God's not leading you. He promises, '… I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them' (Isaiah 42:16 NKJV). So get to know God - you'll need Him. And He'll be there for you. He'll be there when everybody and everything else has failed you. He'll be there for you in the dark places. '… Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning' (Psalm 30:5 NKJV). However long the night, morning always comes, and with it His joy. As you look back you'll realise that His grace protected you, provided for you, secured you, calmed you, comforted you and brought you through. Times and seasons change, but not God. He's always 'the God of all comfort.'


Note: The article above is taken from daily devotion email from The Word for Today brought by TheVine in association with The Rhema Broadcasting Group Inc, New Zealand and UCB International Ltd

Be Open To Change - And Pursue It!

Let patience have its perfect work. - James 1:4 NKJV

A letter was returned to the Post Office. Handwritten on the envelope were the words, 'He's dead.' Through an oversight the letter was inadvertently sent to the same address again. Again it was returned to the Post Office with yet another message: 'He's still dead!' Let's be honest; most of us resist change. We desire improvement, but we don't want to pay the price for it. And that's a problem, because we will never become what God intends us to be by remaining what we are. It's not enough to be open to change, we need to pursue it.

If you're serious about changing your life, Dr John Maxwell says: 'Don't just change enough to get away from your problems - change enough to solve them. Don't change your circumstances to improve your life - change yourself to improve your circumstances. Don't do the same old things expecting different results - get different results by doing something new. Don't see change as something hurtful that must be done - see it as something helpful that can be done. Don't avoid paying the immediate price tag of change - if you do, you will pay the ultimate price of never improving.' James writes: 'When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing' (James 1:3-4 NLT).

Character building is a slow process; it happens day-by-day. Whenever we try to escape life's difficulties we short-circuit the process, delay our growth, and end up with a worse kind of pain; the worthless type that accompanies denial and avoidance. So, be open to change; and pursue it!


Note: The article above is taken from daily devotion email from The Word for Today brought by TheVine in association with The Rhema Broadcasting Group Inc, New Zealand and UCB International Ltd

Be faithful in small things

This morning, I was encouraged with a quote from Mother Teresa that says "Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." Since beginning of the year, a group of us decided to help one of the under-privilege children home in Penang as we feel together that we want to give back to the society of what God has bless us with.

Every month as we visit the home and bring in the provision, we feel such joy that we are able to provide some help to this needy one. My good friend Ivan wrote an article on this last month after he visit the home together with us. ( http://ivanfoo.blogspot.com/2009/06/eye-opener.html )

By the way, the purpose of this article is basically not to bring self praise but I want to bring some awareness to my readers that there are opportunities out there where you can make a difference in someone's life. Each one of us can make difference. Mother Teresa said "If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one".

But I would also recommend that you will wise in your giving as there many out there who takes opportunity under the name of charity. So do some background study so that you know that your blessing are going to the right channel.

Why not bless someone today? The greatest thing you can do today, is to be a blessing to someone. God has placed someone in your life today for you to be His instrument of blessing. It is amazing when we concentrate each day on how we can bless others, how much God, in turn, blesses us.

Be Blessed.

Conquering our Jericho

In his memoirs General Norman Schwarzkopf tells us about February 23, 1991 – the day before the Allies' ground offensive against Iraq in Operation Desert Storm. Schwarzkopf is filled with doubts, fears, worries, and concerns. He wonders if the Allies succeeded in deceiving Iraqi intelligence; he worries about the SCUD missiles and Iraq's chemical and biological weapons; he is troubled about the elite Republican Guard and their battle skills; he is anxious about the effectiveness of the Allied air-attacks – whether they succeeded in putting the Iraqi army of occupation in Kuwait out of commission. General Schwarzkopf has one big question mark in his mind that last night before the battle begins: will the Allies be successful and how big will be the price in Allied blood and death?

Like General Schwarzkopf, Joshua too has doubts, fears, worries, and concerns. He wonders if his spies' report is accurate – do the people of Jericho really fear Israel; he worries about the archers of Jericho and their accuracy; he is troubled by the high, thick walls and how to get through, under, or around them; he is anxious about the armor and skill of his soldiers. Like Schwarzkopf, Joshua has one big question mark in his mind that last night before the battle begins: will Israel be successful and how big will be the price in Israeli blood and death?

Before Israel could enjoy the pleasures of the Promised Land they had to conquer the impregnable city of Jericho. If they failed to conquer this pagan stronghold, then they could not enjoy the fruit of the Land because of attacks from Jericho. But if they conquered Jericho, then the remaining cities of the Land which were much less formidable would quite easily be conquered and the richness of the Land would be theirs.

Similarly, we often have to conquer "Jerichos" in our lives and the lives of others before we or they can enjoy the blessings that God has in store. God has allowed many "Jerichos" to be placed in our way, let us learn from Israel's example how we can overcome them.

Below are some simple principle that we can observe in Joshua's battle plan.

Faith: Joshua and Israel believed the battle plan.

Obedience: Joshua and Israel followed the battle plan exactly.

Courage: Israel followed the battle plan despite danger.

Endurance: Israel followed the battle plan over a period of time, even when it seemed that nothing was happening.

Israel did not rely on carnal scheming and worldly methods; their trust was in the LORD, not in human ingenuity. Our lives battle plan is clearly stated in the Word of the Lord. When we walk our lives in complete obedience to Him, our "Jerichos" can be easily conquered.

Be Blessed.

A Prayer for Malaysia

“Heavenly Father,

We come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and seek Your directions and guidance for our beloved nation.

We know Your Word says, “Woe to those who call evil good’, but that’s exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.

We confess that:
We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it moral pluralism;
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle;
We have compromise our believe and called it tolerance;
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery;
We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation;
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare;
We have killed our unborn and called it choice;
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable;
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building esteem;
We have abused power and called it political savvy;
We have coveted our neighbors’ possessions and called it ambition;
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression;
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Above all, we have remain silent in our prayers for our nation;

Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

Guide and bless these men and women who are in authority who are voted in by we, Malaysian, and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great nation.

Grant them Your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your will.

May peace and truth prevail in this nation.

I ask it in the name of your son, the Living Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.”


Adapted from Pastor Joe Wright , Senior Pastor at Central Christian Of Wichita, Kansas, “Prayer of Repentance” that shook the nation when he prayed it before the Kansas State House on January 23, 1996.

God's Way, Or Yours

He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul. Psalm 106:15 NKJV

When you insist on wanting something that God in His wisdom is withholding, sometimes He steps back and says, 'Okay, have it your way.' After God brought His people through the Red Sea and delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh, we read, 'They believed His words; they sang His praise' (Psalm 106:12 NKJV). That sounds good. But notice what happened next, for it happens to us: 'They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul' (vs.13-15). Wanting our own way can lead to spiritual emptiness.

When God called Moses to deliver His people from Egypt, Moses decided to do it his own way. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, but instead of consulting God he took matters into his own hands. The Bible says, 'He looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand' (Exodus 2:12 NKJV).

Obviously Moses was more concerned with the opinions of people than how God felt about it. So God had to teach Moses that his orders came from Him. After Moses dug a hole and tried to hide the work of his flesh, God allowed it to be exposed. He showed Moses that by doing things his own way he couldn't keep a single soldier buried in the sand. Whereas, by doing things God's way, a whole army could be buried in the depths of the Red Sea. So today, make up your mind to do it God's way.


Note: The article above is taken from daily devotion email from The Word for Today brought by TheVine in association with The Rhema Broadcasting Group Inc, New Zealand and UCB International Ltd

Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia

ViveAlive proudly support "Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia" initiative.

In GOD we trust !!!!

This morning I was stunned when I read The Malaysian Insider article with the headline "Keep God out of football - FIFA tells Brazil superstars". FIFA was referring to Kaka and captain Lucio revealed T-shirts with devout slogans such as “I Belong to Jesus” and “I Love God” during the Confederations Cup final last month.

Kaka and the Brazil Football team has been well known in honoring God in the football field before and after a a game. In fact, during the last Confederations Cup, the squad and backroom staff formed a large circle and sank to their knees in prayer after the victory over the US in the finals.

Little by little, slowly but surely, and ever so subtly, God is being removed from our society. US is a classic example of this phenomena. In 1962, the US Supreme Court banned school prayer. In 1963, the Bible was outlawed in U.S. Schools. The Creator was outlawed in U.S. school science classes in 1987. In 1991 the name of God was outlawed at U.S. school graduation ceremonies. The Pledge of Allegiance with the term “under God” was outlawed in U.S. schools in 2002. A recent statistical analysis by David Barton graphically illustrates how America has plummeted from righteous living, prosperity and success in the last quarter century.

The world is slowly distancing itself from Godly principles. Secular humanism now directs the public affairs of our nations. This philosophy denies God, Christ and His Word. When we remove God's standards, then man is free to substitute his own standards of morality and we disallow the divinity of Christ and His completed work on the cross. Then there is no longer any need for God and His atoning grace. The moral compass points to what is right in the eyes of each individual without respect to God's standards.

I believe the main purpose of the actions above is not just to remove God from the schools and public arena. That is only one of the battlegrounds. It is an attempt to remove God from the hearts of people both public and private.

Judges 21:25 says, "In those days every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Is that a description of our society today? Many people today do their own thing without regard to God's will. The question is asked, "Isn't one person's values as good as another's?" Many in our society, including some Christians, believe the answer to this is, "YES". Oswald Chambers declared, realize that “God’s laws are not watered down to suit anyone; if God did that He would cease to be God. The moral law never alters for the noblest or the weakest; it remains abidingly and eternally the same.”

It is time for us to stand up and be accounted for in our walk with the Lord. We need to continue to be a lighthouse to a world that is loosing it's light daily.

Don't Settle For Less

Run in such a way that you... win. 1 Corinthians 9:24 NRS

Have you ever moved into a new house and made a list of all the little jobs you wanted to do, like touching up the paintwork or planting a garden? Chances are, six months later they're still not done and you are okay with it. Complacency is part of the human psyche. Incredible as it may sound, the children of Israel got so used to living in slavery that they were angry when Moses wanted to free them. Here is what they said to him: 'We hope the Lord will punish… you for making [Pharaoh] and his officials hate us… ' (Exodus 5:21 CEV). When you get so used to living with your problems and hang-ups that you lose your desire to overcome them, the enemy has you exactly where he wants you.

Ever wonder why some of us go on to experience higher heights and deeper depths in our walk with God, while others go in circles or never make it out of the starting gate? That's because the first group committed themselves to pursuing God until His presence became a reality in their lives and as a result God honoured their commitment. Paul says: 'Run in such a way that you… win.' If you've grown lukewarm and half-hearted about running the race, God wants to re-energise you and get you back on track. His word says, 'Return to Me… and I will return to you' (Zechariah 1:3 NKJV). In this Scripture God is saying to us, 'Turn around. Come back, you'll find me where you left me.' Don't settle for less than a living, breathing, walking, talking relationship with the King of Kings Himself, when it's part of your inheritance.


Note: The article above is taken from daily devotion email from The Word for Today brought by TheVine in association with The Rhema Broadcasting Group Inc, New Zealand and UCB International Ltd

Better is one day in YOUR courts

Many times in live, we settle for less than what God has for us. All the time, it is our own attitude that leads us to settle for less. Being in the 21st century, we live in a world of instant result. We want to have everything in a instant...sometimes in a split of a second. Sometimes we choose the path of convenience and our personnel rights takes precedent instead of obedience and His righteousness. Many times we get disappointed with God due to our own self centered attitude.

It is time we begin to seek HIS presence more in our lives and let God to begin the work in our lives according to HIS divine will and plan. The Psalmist said, “Better is one day in your courts, than a thousand elsewhere!”. Whether we are experiencing the joy of a mountain top experience, the heart pain of the valley, or the spiritual thirst of the driest deserts, God has promised “never to leave us nor forsake us.”

There is nothing as important as God's presence.One moment in His presence can change our lives. Sometimes we settle for so many other things. With God's presence in our lives we can face anything.

Be Blessed.

Grace

Lay It Aside

Let us lay aside every weight, and... run with endurance... Hebrews 12:1 NKJV

The Bible says, 'Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it' (1Corinthians 9:24 NKJV). In life you only get to run once, so run to win. To avoid stumbling or losing your place, don't look back. You can't change the past, but thank God you can learn from it and leave it behind.
Don't be anxious about the next lap, focus only on the next step. If you miss that you may fall and not get up again. Before you know it you'll soon have more laps behind you than ahead of you, so make every lap count: 'Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.'

Many of us carry the weight and worry of burdens that older and wiser people understand are of no real importance. We spend our strength extinguishing fires that, if left alone, would burn out on their own. Time is your most valuable resource. Save it and you've increased your assets and decreased your liabilities.

Get rid of the baggage of old relationships, pointless fears, and false indebtedness to those who seek to manipulate you. There are enough painful trials in life; why endure the ones you can lay aside?

When blind Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was within reach he threw off his coat lest it trip him up, and ran toward Him. And his faith paid off: '… Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus… ' (Mark 10:52 NKJV). Today, 'lay it aside' and run!


Note: The article above is taken from daily devotion email from The Word for Today brought by TheVine in association with The Rhema Broadcasting Group Inc, New Zealand and UCB International Ltd

Some safety feedback for Air Asia

I send a feedback to Air Asia last Friday with regards to some concern I have with their ground crew practice of safety measures. I send my feedback online and the feedback system prompt me that I should get a feedback reply from Air Asia in 3 working days but till today, there is no feedback from them. So I guess it is good I blog about it since I am not sure whether my concern is being heard or not.

This observation took place as I was boarding flight FD3544 from Penang to Bangkok on 21st June 2009. I am surprised with the kind "no-importance for safety" attitude shown by this team of ground crews who manages flight FD3544. Here are two observation which I believe is crucial for Air Asia to look into and improve their safety guidelines.

Firstly, one of the ground crew place his walkie talkie on the engine of the aircraft and move to work elsewhere. As we were boarding the plane, we saw the walkie talkie on the engine. I wonder whether that is the right place to put a walkie talkie. What happen if the ground crew forgot about it and the flight start to take off ?? I can't imagine the consequences. A couple of passengers reminded the flight crew about it. I guess it was removed eventually since we reach Bangkok in one piece.

Secondly, one of the cabin crew almost fell down from the plane when she was trying to close the aircraft door due to a miscommunication between the ground crew and her. Since it is an old 737 plane, the Stewardess was having difficulty to close the door. Sudenlly the ground crew start pulling the staircase (boarding stairs) away. One of her leg was on the staircase and the other on the plane. She has to shout to the ground crew to stop pulling the staircase away. Thank God, nothing serious happen.

There are other safety observation that I notice which I don't want to share in this writeup. So to Air Asia, please look into this feedback and review your safety procedures and train your staff on the importance of safety.