Life's Healing Choices

Session 1: Admitting Need - The Reality Choice
"Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor." - Matthew 5:3

Root of the Problem: "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." Romans 7:15

We need to recognize that we are not in control, Only God is in full control.

We should stop controlling/protecting our image, other people, our problems and our pain.

Fear, frustration, fatigue and failure are the consequences of taking control..

We must make a choice to learn from the past, forgive other who have hurt us, accept our present situation, depend FULLY on God, surrender our situation to God.

Problems are inevitable but misery is optional. We should always respond properly and we will experience the abundant life God has promised us.

Choose to have the eyes of FAITH.
Only by God's GRACE - God's Resources At Christ's Expense

Knowing Hagar

Genesis 16

Hagar and Ishmael

1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; ² so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. ³ So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. ⁴ He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.

WHAT DO YOU THINK HAGAR’S REACTION MIGHT HAVE BEEN? HOW WOULD YOU REACT WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A POSITION WHICH YOU HAVE NO CONTROL? HOW CAN GOD HELP YOU WHEN YOU ARE IN SUCH A POSITION?

When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.

⁵ Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”

WHY DO YOU THINK THE PREGNANT HAGAR BEGAN TO DESPISE SARAH? A CONCUBINE AND A WIFE. SHE LET HER PRIDE OVERTAKE HER

⁶ “Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.

⁷ The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. ⁸ And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.

HAGAR RAN AWAY TO A PRETTY BARREN AND SPARSELY POPULATED. SHE WAS DESPERATE TO LEAVE A DIFFICULT BUT SAFE ENVIRONMENT AND GO TO THE DESERT. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THAT DESPERATE? WHAT WERE THE CIRCUMSTANCES?

⁹ Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” ¹⁰ The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” WORDS OF ASSURANCE AND OF PROPHECY. A PROMISE. FIRST REVELATION

It is a great mercy to be stopped in a sinful way, either by conscience or by providence. GOD KNOWS HER BONDAGE, HER BITTERNESS, HER ANXIETY ABOUT THE FUTURE

¹¹ The angel of the Lord also said to her:

“You are now pregnant
    and you will give birth to a son.                                     
You shall name him Ishmael,^{[a]                                                                            "}GOD HEARS"
    for the Lord has heard of your misery.                  

¹² He will be a wild donkey of a man;           
    his hand will be against everyone      
    and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
    toward^[b] all his brothers.”

¹³ She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen^[c] the One who sees me.”¹⁴ That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi^[d]; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

Have I, who am so unworthy, been favoured with a gracious visit from the Lord? She was brought to a better temper, returned, and by her behaviour softened Sarai, and received more gentle treatment. Would that we were always suitably impressed with this thought, Thou God seest me! (God aided her in her desperation.)

¹⁵ So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. ¹⁶ Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

GOD ALWAYS FULFILLS HIS PROMISE.. IN HIS OWN TIME, NOT OURS. HIS LOVE AND PROTECTION IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE.

Genesis 21

Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

⁸ The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. ⁹ But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, ¹⁰ and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”

¹¹ The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son.¹² But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring^[b] will be reckoned. ¹³ I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

¹⁴ Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.

¹⁵ When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. ¹⁶ Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she^[c] began to sob.

JUST IMAGINE HOW SHE FELT DURING THAT TIME. SOME 16 YEARS LATER.. EVEN THOUGH HAGAR AND ISMAEL WERE OUTCASTS AND ALONE. GOD LOVINGLY CARED FOR THEM.

¹⁷ God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. ¹⁸ Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

HOW DID GOD MEET HER NEEDS? THE SECOND REVELATION.

REMINDER TO NOT BE AFRAID!

¹⁹ Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

²⁰ God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. ²¹ While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.                GOD HAD SEEN, HAD HEARD AND HAD BEEN FAITHFUL. HE KNOWS ALL THINGS. HE IS OUR SUSTENANCE

Finishing well

Work-Life Integration according to Francis Kong

"Always give more than what you are paid for"
We should give our 100% in everything we do! (not just 50% for work and 50% for life)

To be successful, we need to have the right values and decisions. Task management and not settle for time management.

Let God sustain us each day :) Start by having a vibrant devotional life each morning. This will in turn be our inner strength for any challenges we encounter.

Educate our intellect and our emotions.. Go for spiritual transformation!

Work not for the pay but to create value and worth.. our dignity as children of God.

We should focus on human character development and not of success..

Stand for the truth all the time!

Power - how fast you can go
vs
Energy - how far you can reach

Wikipedia

Captivated by God

The event today was truly a blessing :)

Spent time with friends from different groups in CCF and most importantly got to focus on God's promise.

Here are some of the highlights learned from the conference:

Only Jesus can hug your soul. Have confidence that comes from God.
Christ is more than enough. Serve the Lord with the right motivation.
Know the Truth and be grounded on it.
Be reminded of our priorities.
Have an awesome fear for God. Hold on to God in everything.
Faithful, Available and Teachable heart.
Do it God's way and not our own way. Give 100% to God and trust him completely!
Have undivided devotion for the Lord :)
Be the right woman in God's perspective..

On Marriage..
Becoming one through intimacy and fellowship
Rival is oneself and not others..
Follow a standard based on God's law..
Go all the way without counting or expecting anything in return!
Be prayerful and obedient..
Enable each other to fulfill God's purpose..
Acceptance, completeness and wholeness in Christ
Be genuinely open to God's will

Surrendering is a day by day decision..
Everything is beautiful in its own time..
Let Jesus be the one who holds our heart :)

Have a Blessed Week!

Moving up

This has been a memorable weekend :)

B1G Fridays - facilitated for 4 ladies on the topic of taming the tongue..

GLC Graduation - spent time with my mom, dgroup and friends from B1G Fridays
Sunday - family time :)

Continue to be a channel of blessing :)

Looking for forward to the coming week! Captivated this Saturday :)

Spirit

Worship songs really touches and captures my heart and soul..
Photography captures what words cannot express

Love language

9	Quality Time
7	Physical Touch
7	Words of Affirmation
5	Acts of Service
2	Receiving Gifts

Faith

Faith.

A word that I have been closely holding on to since the start of my journey with God.

From my chosen Confirmation name to my life line in any challenge that comes my way.. the Spiritual gift test affirms it once again.

Life's Four Big Questions

Life's Four Big Questions (Ravi Zacharias and Abdu Murray)

Where do we find our moral framework/law?
- From God alone.. up and down, not just left and right

How do I find meaning in my life?
- Searching for Wonder, Love, Truth and Security

Loneliest moment
- Experienced an ultimate moment and it has let you down

Where is hope really found if life ends in the grave?
- In Christ

Our greatest need is for a savior..
Supremacy of the ethic of love..
Longing for love is very real in our lives..
Don't lose God's love (Agape) where everything else follows..

Why are you here?

"If you look for truth, you will find comfort.. You will find despair, if you look for comfort and not truth"

..People are looking for answers to their questions

5 "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." (Colossians 4)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRPLhnjyaRw&feature=youtu.be

Descendants of the Son

We are all children of God..

"We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19)

How much are we willing to give up for someone we love? Are we willing to go the extra mile?

Tender love bears, believes, hopes and endures all things..
Tough love speaks the truth but causes pain..
Sacrificial love is giving up something that is of value to you..
Radical love is dying to one's rights..

Lead me Lord

To guard my mind and my heart..

Broken and made whole

"God is closest to those whose hearts are broken"

We all have different circumstances and desires..

It is all part of God's purpose..

We are given freedom to choose BUT if our choices are not aligned with God's will, we will never be contented or have that Joy and Peace that only comes from Him.

56 "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Cor 15)

Our relationship with God will guide us to make the right decision in every circumstance. 

9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1)

7 "But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3)

in Him

My strength is in Him..

Humbled by His presence..

Strength in spite of my weaknesses..

He has rescued me..

Singing out to God..

All praises to Him!

God's design for the family

A topic very close to my heart.. A longing that I have been praying for..

"Family was designed to be a picture of God's love and our relationship with Him."

This pretty much summarizes the importance of a family. It all boils down to our relationship with God. Everything else will follow..

Families are not to be taken for granted. There should always be values in place that will serve as a guide to ensure that it can withstand trials and difficulties.

By loving God
By loving one another
By obeying God's word
By modeling godly character
By being controlled by the Holy Spirit
By serving God together
By praying together

Marriage is such a beautiful covenant.. Both husband and wife have unique roles and cannot be interchanged.

A husband should lead, provide, protect and love his wife unconditionally..
A wife should support, submit, appreciate/encourage, and respect her husband.. 

Love and Respect.. Raise our appreciation and lower our expectation.. Focus on the positives/blessings and not the negatives.. Real internal change is God's work and not ours.. Surrender and submit all our concerns to God..

"Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." (Proverbs 3:3)

..be a woman of worth

In the meantime.. I will continue to nurture the relationships that God has entrusted me with. By faith and God's grace, I accept the challenge ahead of me.

Overwhelmed by God's love :)

Work in progress

Life before knowing Christ

I grew up with a workaholic father who was not always around, even on the important events of my life like graduation. My two brothers also had independent lives and we did not grow up together. I was dependent on my mom for a lot of things, we were inseparable. Growing up I was looking for happiness from other people or material things. I get easily jealous when my friends had other close friends. My happiness was dependent on other people. I also had insecurities/pressures on being compared to the success of my brothers.

How I came to know Jesus

In 2001, I experienced occasional headaches and was diagnosed of Open Angle Glaucoma on both eyes. Glaucoma affects people of all ages and is the leading cause of blindness in the world. Glaucoma is a disease in your eye that damages your optic nerve. To put it simply, the white fluid that keeps your eye healthy is unable to properly drain and causes pressure to build, which can result in blindness. My eye pressure before was around 20 to 25.

During that time, I did not have a dedicated doctor who can closely monitor my glaucoma, because of the distance of the hospital from my place. For the first five years, I was prescribed around 5 to 6 eye drops that I had to take several times during the day. Because of the medications, my eye pressure was lowered down to 15 to 20.

In 2005, my mom and I went to Australia to visit our relatives and also have a second opinion with regards to my condition. Felt hopeless when the doctor there informed us that in 5 to 15 years, I could lose my eyesight completely. We stayed there for two months and we got to experience having a spiritual family because my Tita was very active in her local church. It was during one of their gatherings, that my Tita prayed for me and my mom and it was during that moment that we felt the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Life after accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior

When we got back from Australia, I was invited by a friend from college to attend Victory Christian Fellowship. I became active in Kids Church and Youth ministry.

Early 2008, I decided to look for a doctor within the area who can easily go to regularly. By God’s grace, I was able to find an ophthalmologist in Borough Eastwood and underwent the Glaucoma Filtration Procedure. In August 2008, I attended Victory Weekend and was baptized with the Holy Spirit. Eventually, I started sharing the gospel through one2one.

In 2009, I was in a relationship with a non-believer and it became my primary focus. My parents took very good care of me through the years and it was time for me to start learning to be independent. By August 2013, my parents finally allowed me to live on my own and give me the freedom that I needed. Me and my boyfriend had a lot of issues and fought a lot of times but I did not have the courage to let go. I experienced both emotional and physical pain. There was even a time that I sprained my ankle because of my foolishness. In Oct 2013, I did a strict low-calorie diet for 6 months and lost 20 pounds. I thought that it could improve the relationship but I was wrong. I was also not happy that I sacrificed my time with my family and put more priority into my relationship. By July 4, 2014, I gathered up the courage and decided to finally end it. It was not an easy decision ending a 5-year relationship and at 30 years old. For an entire year, I kept myself preoccupied by exercising and watching Korean dramas. It was a heartbreaking experience for me but until now I have no regrets. It brought about so many blessings in my life.

My primary focus became my family, especially my nephew. I was able to restore the trust of my parents. It was through that experience that my mom became open in attending CCF with me, and eventually my dad as well. I decided to be active again in church by volunteering for the technical ministry in Victory. During prayer and fasting last Jan 2015, I was informed of an opportunity to work in a new project/location and I gladly took on the challenge. It was a step of faith for me to leave my comfort zone of 8 years. I was praying for a small group and was able to attend a CCF bible study (which I saw in Facebook). I was even surprised to discover that several people who I interacted with at work were also believers. God never failed to surprise me. It was truly a blessing to have a spiritual family wherever I go. There were many firsts for me in 2015, commuting and experienced night shift for a month, seeing an old friend have that thirst for a relationship with God, were a few of them. I had simple joys knowing that I can step out in faith and know that God is always with me. By July 2015, I received another answered prayer and was promoted as the team lead for the project. I was humbled because I was chosen even though there were others who were in the project longer than I. I am also thankful that I was given an opportunity to adjust my schedule at work, so that I can be more active in ministry. Last Dec 2015, my mom and I started attending WOW Thursdays and are now part of a small group.

With regards to Glaucoma, there are improvements for both eyes for the past 15 years. Currently, I only have 1 eye drop medication and my eye pressure is constant at 8.

God slowly changed my heart and I am so overwhelmed with His presence in my life and my family. God has placed a burned in my heart to reach out to other people. He is also constantly guiding me on things or people that need to hold on to or let go. Me and my family are still works in progress and are improving our ways to communicate better with each other.

Life verses:

Psalm 91:2 “I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

1 Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Hebrews 10:19-25 ESV

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Life if I didn’t come to know Christ

My life would have no direction and I would still be relying on my own strength.

My focus would be on worldly pleasures and would still remain full of insecurities.