Ask and you shall receive.. but what do we ask for?

People have been congratulating and reminding me about how old i am because of my birthday. 21st birthdays are usually really big, because of a few things.

1. You are official legal (therefore, all under 21s are illegal)

2. You are eligible to vote

3. You can do practically anything you want without any legal objection from anybody

4. You can drink(alcohol) and watch(PG and X rated) stuff without risks of being arrested

The 4th one is usually the most popular.

Another question people have been asking is what did i wish for my birthday? I don't know who came out with the wishing thingy during birthday cakes. If you wish for something before you blow the candles, you will get whatever you wished for. To me that is total nonsense, it is just a myth to give hope to the hopeless. If that were really true, why would there be poverty? or sick people? So it is either untrue or people have been making stupid wishes.

I know my God promised in Luke 11:9 'So i say to you, ask and you shall receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.' I don't need to wish for things only on my birthdays, i can ask my God anything, anytime. Even the word 'wish' seems uncertain and not confident of actually getting something. But i am going to ask and believe that i am going to get what i asked for.

So, what do we ask for then? Will we get anything and everything that we asked for? Or do we only get what is in God's will? Let's take a look at Numbers 22: 5-21

'And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. 5 Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: “Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! 6 Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the diviner’s fee in their hand, and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak. 8 And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the LORD speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9 Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10 So Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11 ‘Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out.’” 12 And God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” 13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go back to your land, for the LORD has refused to give me permission to go with you.”

14 And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.” 15 Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; 17 for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.’” 18 Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more. 19 Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the LORD will say to me.” 20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.” 21 So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

Balaam was a prophet of the Lord judging by the statement from the king that 'whoever he bless is blessed and whoever he curse is cursed'. But, he had a weakness, which was greed for wealth.

1. Israel was God's chosen people

Balaam knew that Israel was God's chosen people and God would never allow His people to be cursed by their enemies. But Balaam ignored that because he was enticed by the amount of wealth he would get from just a few spoken words. He chose to ask God just to confirm. Alright, fair play to him.

2. God said NO! but hear Balaam's excuses

Balaam told the Moabites in vs13,'... the Lord has REFUSED to give me permission to go with you.' Using the exact words that he has just said, he is trying to act holy by telling the Moabites that the only reason he can't go with them is because God said so. Well, at least he got that right by obeying God. But i am pretty sure that it was eating him on the inside. The work 'REFUSED' shows reluctance and only because of authority, he resisted. The sentencing shows that he didn't really believe it himself. Balaam's reply suggests that he was hesitant and unwillingly complied.

The Moabites now returned with even more wealth and people with even higher status to deliver the offer. And this starts to get interesting. Instead of denying the offer straight away, Balaam chose to ask God again. Ridiculous!

3. Do you think God will change His mind because of more wealth?

That was a total insult to God. Who does Balaam think God is? He doesn't need wealth nor praises of man, He is the Kings of kings. But because Balaam was blinded by his own greedy desires and still wanted to seem 'obedient' unto to God. He nagged God.

4. God said Yes.

Incredibly, God gave in to Balaam's nagging. He allowed the desires of Balaam's heart.

Ask and you shall receive. Balaam asked and he received. He received the desires of his heart. In Ecclesiates 8:11 it says:'...therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.' That is the difference between God's perfect will and His permissible will. We still have our free will but unless we ask of what is in His heart, we are going down the wrong path because the hearts of men are evil.

Sometimes we are just exactly like Balaam. We don't want to disobey God because we fear Him. But we desire and are tempted by certain things that we know God clearly disapproves. We still try it anyway, in case He changes His mind. We still stubbornly nag Him about it so that we get the satisfaction without claiming responsibility for it. Then, when things turn out badly we just blame God and claim that we were just following His 'will'.

We need to constantly ask of God for wisdom. Be careful of what we ask, for it shall be given as promised. Guard our hearts and always ask for His heart. Don't try and act smart and question God. When He says 'Do it', just do it. When He says 'Don't do it', don't do it. Period.

Change has come! But is it for the better?

The American people yesterday demonstrated their unique capacity for self-renewal by electing the first black man as head of state, not that many years after the country’s African-Americans were accorded full civil rights.

In electing Barack Obama president by a solid margin, accompanied by a congress with the biggest Democratic majority since the 1970s, Americans have signalled a dramatic change in the direction of the world’s sole superpower.

Two years ago, Barack Obama identified that the overwhelming sentiment in this presidential election would be a desire for change. His election campaign was based on the motto of 'Change we can believe in'. Throughout the campaign, he emphasised the urgency of this desire. The fact that he was a candidate with less experience in national office than any of his opponents in either the Democratic primary or in the general election, was turned from a potential liability into an asset that worked in his favour. The colour of his skin, regarded by many as an impossible obstacle to his ambitions, in the end served as the principal guarantee that he was a different kind of leader for a nation in crisis.

America’s yearning for change focused most closely on dissatisfaction with the economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. With their historic decision yesterday, the American people should certainly get change. Two questions however hover over the new president elect and his team.

The first is whether the new president will choose to rein back the economical and social agenda of the large Democratic majority in congress. Though they threw out the Republican party yesterday it is not at all clear that the American people endorsed a Democratic party policy that is committed to big tax increases on wealthier Americans and corporations, restrictions on free trade, renewed empowerment of trade unions and the appointment of judges likely to rule in favour of more liberal laws on abortion and gay marriage.
The second challenge is simply the massive task of restoring America’s stature and the country’s economic power and global political standing.

The country faces challenges on a scale no incoming president has had to tackle in a very long time. The economy is in a recession likely to be as deep as the deepest in the last 50 years.
President elect Obama’s first task will be to do whatever the government can do to lift the US and with it the global economy out of its slump. A programme of reform will be necessary to begin to restore trust in the institutions of American leadership.

Americans made history yesterday. Some may argue that it was on grounds of pure desperation or smart tactical campaigning on the side of the Democrats. Nevertheless, it was the 'right' man at the right time and an opportunity well taken. What type of change will be instigated in the coming months? Will it be for the better? Well, lets pray that it will be. God bless us all!

Link to Barack Obama's victory speech:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/06/us-elections-barack-obama-lincoln

Courage my son, courage!

I have finally gotten my internet connection. I know its no excuse for not updating my blog, but it played a big part though. I have been really getting extra exercise with the 20 minute walks to university even though I don’t have lectures on that day. I go to university just to use the internet.

I have been struggling with quite a lot of things for the past few weeks. It’s basically about the path ahead. I am a planner, I plan things. If bits and pieces are lying around, I will put them together so that they don’t go wasted. The habit of planning has been heavily influenced by my dad, who used to get us to plan for the year ahead every year. First I have a master plan, which consist of major events blocked out throughout the year. The 2nd stage is the weekly planning, where I usually get my daily routine in place and I know what I have to do for the days of the week. The 3rd part is the planning, where I plan out nearly every single thing I would do for the day to the minute. It sounds crazy, but it can be done and I never waste time.

So what happens to people like us when we can’t plan? Or when we don’t even know what to plan?
We get stressed out. We panic. We go bonkers.

Unfortunately, that’s what I had to learn. God told me to do something, He gave me the confirmation to do it and I acted on it. I planned it all out, in the ideal sense at least. BUT, everything started to collapse. One by one, it all fell like dominos. It didn’t progress like I expected, not even a little. I know that the world is far from ideal, but still… I had the most difficult 3 weeks in my life that I could remember. Nothing seemed to be going right. So when the grand plan fails, all the added potholes show up in front of you, plus the Big guy up there stays worryingly quiet, I was totally LOST.

I started to lose confidence in myself. I lost faith. Did I hear God wrongly? After all that was said and done, maybe im not the right guy for the job after all. I doubted and questioned many things. I feared because everything seems to be in a mess. That’s where the evil one has triumph.
It was very emotionally draining as I struggled and tried to pull myself out of it. I shared with a couple of people where they encouraged me but it was still lingering around. That was until I went for CG yesterday night. It was a teaching on ‘Hearing the voice of God’. It was really a good session, but I was a little distracted. Then the leader led us into a practical session.

The 1st part was to pray and then be silent to hear from God. I have done this many times but it felt a little different this time round. I got the word JOSHUA. I had no idea what it meant so I flipped my Bible to Joshua 1:1. This is what it read:
"After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good COURAGE, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and VERY COURAGEOUS, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of GOOD COURAGE; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

I was astounded. The words where hitting my face. But, I still sat in the room emotionless and trying to just let everything sink in. Nobody in the room had any idea what was going on with me, at least that was what I thought.

The 2nd part of the exercise was to continue. We prayed and ask of the Lord for words of encouragement for others in the room. When it was time to share, one of the said: ‘Isaac, I have something for you. The Lord wants you to have BOLDNESS and be COURAGEOUS for the things He has in stored for you.’

I was stunt and completely speechless.

The 3rd was to be continued as we paired up to pray for each other. As we prayed, my partner said:’ Isaac, be COURAGEOUS. For the Lord is with you wherever you go. Do not worry about the things ahead but stay strong and be COURAGEOUS!’

The 4th part, we switched partners and continued the exercise praying for each other. The 1st words that came out of his mouth were:’ Isaac, I have 2 words for you. FAITH and COURAGE.’

I WAS DUMBFOLDED. The word ‘COURAGE’ was directed at me 7 times in one night by different people. I repented and slapped myself right and left. It was pure foolishness to doubt God.

We serve an awesome God. He is our comforter and friend. He is our fortress and our strong tower. NEVER ever doubt Him. For He is with us, all the days of our lives. Amen.

The journey back

It's Alive Again!! Well, it's never easy to revive a blog again after such a long lay off. Im so sorry but i really didn't have the time to sit down and pen things down. Many have encouraged me to share about my summer experience, but there is too much that i cant even begin to recollect. I could literally write a book entitled 'My Summer Experience' which could possibly be a best seller too. Not because of my writing skills, but purely the things that had taken place. As i reflect on my 4 months back home i should be coming out with a couple of posts along the way. For now, lets talk about the present and the future.

I had a terribly mixed feeling about coming back to the UK. So many things had happened and many more promised for the future. My relationship with my family grew to new heights, the rapport among my cousins tighten and the friendship with my friends strengthen. The goodbyes were hard to make and the Lord was gracious enough to allow my Visa to be delayed for 2 weeks so that i could prepare and compose myself. As i said my final goodbyes to my family as i walked towards the boarding gate, a sudden feeling of loneliness fell upon me. I had never felt anything like that in a long long time. I plugged on my ipod hoping to distract myself from the feeling and the 1st song that came up on the screen was 'Not alone' by BarlowGirl. At that moment, i felt as if God was sitting next to me and giving me a pat on the back. What followed was a great flight to London which i slept most of the way.

I touched down on Sunday the 5th of October. My friend Claris was kind enough to pick me up from the airport or i would end up lugging my 4 bags on the bus and back to Uxbridge. As i stepped out of the airport i was welcomed with the typical rainy and depressing English weather. What fun... I went straight for church after leaving my bags at my new rented house. I was greeted warmly by church members and friends. Apparently, the whole church has been praying for me to get my Visa. Not so that i could come back, but that they weren't protecting an illegal immigrant. hehe.. It was a nice gesture though. Worship service that day was awesome and it was good to be back on British soil. After the usual setting down of church, we adjourned to the pastor's house for lunch. It was a great time just to catch up with some friends. One of the leaders, Vijay and Pastor also discussed about my involvement in the church for the next year. It was an opening that i have been praying about for the past year. Praise the Lord! It looks like an exciting year ahead.

Dear Lord, I just wanna thank you for your graciousness and patience. Thank you for your awesome hand at work. I pray that I will continue to work in Your ways only as i look forward to the year ahead. Thank You so much. Amen.

My contact details:

Email: isaacmufan87@yahoo.com

msn: isaac_rendezvous@hotmail.com

blog: http://rendezvous-isaac.blogspot.com/

Address: 19, Mill Avenue UB8 2QL Uxbridge, Middlesex, United Kingdom

What lies inside?

The last time i posted i was still on British ground but now.. I'm back in Malaysia!! Woohoo.. Its been great to be back home again. Like Dorothy said:' There is no place like home..' From the very moment i touched down, i have been extremely busy with the organising of the Malaysian Youth Prayer Gathering 2008. During the little times of leisure that i have, i catch up with the movies that have been on screen. One movie that truly stood out for me was IRON MAN.

Tony Stark is seen as one of the most famous man on earth. He is rich, smart and handsome. He has the American government at his feet because his company supplies weapons for the USA army. He has his own jet. He gets any woman he wants. He is every girl's dream. He is blunt with words, talks straight to the point and is described as the Da Vinci that never paints. He is confident, proud, classy and commands respect from all. On the outside he seems like a heartless freak that cares no less for others than himself. Even after his escape from the terrorist, Tony Stark portrays himself to the world as Iron Man. With all his charisma, confidence and ego, the armor of steel that he wears further enhances the person that he is. Someone who is indestructible and always saves the day. To the world, Iron Man is a hero. Tony Stark is the superstar. There is nothing he cant do.

Interestingly, there is another side that surfaces about Tony Stark. To the world, he is the Man. Nothing can stand in his way. But, at the end of the day, Tony Stark aka Iron Man is still human. There are not many people who knows and see this other side of Tony Stark. The only person who truly sees him for who he really is is Pepper Potts his beautiful assistant. Pepper was the only person that Tony revealed to about his new identity as Iron Man. When Pepper helps him remove the old 'arc reactor' at his heart, she does something really meaningful. She uses that old 'arc reactor' and makes a trophy with the inscription 'This is prove that Tony Stark has a heart.' Pepper is the only person that truly understand the heart of Tony. Many people don't even believe that he has a heart. Tony Stark seems indestructible on his heroics as Iron Man but what people don't see is the wounds and injuries that he gets after those exploits. It is only in the comfort of his home that all his vulnerabilities are surfaced. Further proof that he is still a human with a heart.

There are certain people that we often view as invincible. They are great and can do no wrong. Nothing is impossible with them. Everything they touch turns to gold. But one wrong move, and we criticise them to their grave. We often forget that these people are still humans. They are not perfect and will still make mistakes. I can confidently say that they are usually a different person in the confines of their home. A place they can just be themselves. These people have such a big heart for others to the stage that people even doubt the existence of their heart. They often portray themselves as emotionless beings for the sake of others. To be the source of hope and encouragement to those around.

Iron Man is made of steel. But what lies inside is still human. Just like everyone of us.

Mothers

Mother's Day is the one of the most celebrated events of the year. Price for flowers hike, chocolates are cleared off the shelfs, restaurants are fully booked and for some mothers it is the only time of the year that they get hugs from their children. Well, i hug my mum all the time but lets just say that she'll get a special one on Mother's Day. So this year, i'll like to add in a spot of fun for my mum and all the other mums..

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.“If you’re going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.”

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.“You better pray that will come out of the carpet.”

3. My mother taught me LOGIC.“Because I said so, that’s why.”

4. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.“If you fall out of that swing and break your neck,

you’re not going to the store with me.”

5. My mother taught me IRONY.“Keep crying, and I’ll give you something to cry about.”

6. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.“Shut your mouth and eat your supper.”

7. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.“Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!”

8. My mother taught me about STAMINA.“You’ll sit there until all that spinach is gone.”

9. My mother taught me about WEATHER.“This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.”

10. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.“If I told you once, I’ve told you a million times. Don’t exaggerate!”

11. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.“I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.”

12. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.“Stop acting like your father!”

13. My mother taught me about ENVY.“There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don’t have wonderful parents like you do.”

14. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.“Just wait until we get home.”

15. My mother taught me about RECEIVING .“You are going to get it when you get home!”

16. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE .“If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way.”

17. My mother taught me ESP.“Put your sweater on; don’t you think I know when you are cold?”

18. My mother taught me HUMOR.“When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.”

19. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.“If you don’t eat your vegetables, you’ll never grow up.”

20. My mother taught me GENETICS.“You’re just like your father.”

21. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.“Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?”

22. My mother taught me about WISDOM.“When you get to be my age, you’ll understand.”

And my favorite:

23. My mother taught me about JUSTICE .“One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.”

Of course my mum is not like that but quite the exact opposite for most of them. Some of them are true as well. As we look back we certainly have heard some familiar quotes. This post is a dedication to my mum and all mothers!!

May God grant you extra patience to deal with us children.. God bless!!

A total turn around..

Im back!! Its been some time since i wrote. Sorry for the absence because i was really busy with exams and house hunting. Why house hunting? Well, i was told as international students we would quite definitely get a place to stay on campus next year. But on Monday last week, i got a sms informing me that i won't be getting a place on campus. I was devastated. Real disappointed. I was houseless for next term. I panicked and sort to go out and find a house. Finding a house is not as straight forward cos thousands of other students are looking for houses as well. This news was all the more accompanied with extreme bad timing as i was in the midst of preparing for my exams. I was struggling with my revision too. What am i to do? God had other plans.

God miraculously provided a house for me and my friends. It is literally one in a hundred that you can get a house at this time of year that starts the lease in September. I actually had given up much hope of finding a house for September. I was even ready to pay 1 or 2 months of wasted rent. When we believe God always provides. We put down the deposit for the house on Wednesday. It sort of fits us perfectly as we will only be back in September and the agents have offered to negotiate an unlikely 10 month deal for us (most houses have a non negotiable 12 month contract). The house is also walking distance from University.

Exams also went more smoothly than expected. God really sustained me to be able to get through this period. I was able to focus and push on for the final exams. I have finished now. I still cant believe that i have finished 1st year of University.

But.. i think the thing that made my week was that Manchester United beat Barcelona to qualify for Champions League Final in Moscow!! woohooo... A fantastic game. When Scholes scored the goal, we were all screaming and celebrating for a good 2 minutes in a jam packed pub on campus. The feeling was indescribable. Only real football fans will be able to understand. At the final whistle, we were hugging, jumping and singing with each other in jubilation. We were congratulating each other with hugs n brother handshakes even though we din know each other. But we had one thing in common, we support Manchester United!! Come on now..

The amazing things is that God never ever short changes us and He even allows us to have some joy from things that we love. In this case, FOOTBALL!! Take a look at this

Last week i was..
1. Houseless
2. struggling with revision
3. Man Utd lost to Chelsea to lose a 3 point lead

This week i..
1. got a house
2. got pass exams quite smoothly
3. Man Utd beat Barcelona to reach final

How cool is that? God is truly faithful. I look back and i wonder why i ever worried about all this. Where was my faith? God has certainly brought me through this period yet again. God cares every single bit for us. Look to Him and trust him always.

Thank You Lord. Amen.