Expect God to answer your prayers

By Rick Warren

God wants to direct you in life, but two things need to line up: You have to ask the right person, God, and you have to ask with the right attitude — in faith, expecting an answer. 

Have you ever asked God for something and didn't expect to get it? That's why you didn't get it. God works in our lives according to faith. So many times we say, "God, please guide me!" and we walk away, not even waiting for guidance. We just immediately start to work. We say, "God, I want you to give me wisdom; help me make the right decision." But we don't really expect him to do that. We think it all depends on us. 

James 1:5-6 says, "If you want to know what God really wants you to do, ask him ... but if you don't ask in faith, don't expect the Lord to give you any solid answer" (LB).

God has promised to give us wisdom, if we will ask. Wisdom is seeing life from God's point of view. Wisdom is the ability to make decisions the way God makes decisions.

Think about this: God never makes a bad decision. He never makes a mistake. He says if we trust him and listen to him, he will guide us. But we must ask in faith.

Note to self: don't say prayers out of habit..and don't just pray and forget abt it.. keep close each day thanking Him for the little and big things in life..wait upon Him by reading and spending time in His word. Powerful and effective way to quieten your heart and let Him speak to you abt your life..minus out the distractions of gadgets, unhealthy thoughts, relying on self, even the penning down of self condemnation thoughts. . Speak forth only good beliefs..and expect good answers from Him. Love Jesus!

Best gift this year!

就是很简单的幸福♥

The lost shall be found. Indeed!

And so we had a short 2 hrs of dinner time tgt last sunday nite. .before we head back home n he fell asleep right after bath due to his early mrg flt that day. The next mrg after he is back in sg he msged that he lost the necklace which I gav him for his 30th bday! I was more sad than angry..not only becoz of the value of it (it is the first time I bgt an expensive gift for my other half) but the significance of it for us..n him. So we separately searched our homes thoroughly inside out. I was more than sure he dumped somewhere in his messy bag among the clothes and stuff..coz I saw him fidgeting ard his bag for a long while just b4 heading into the bathrm. Of coz..it doesnt took long for me to put away the 'nagging' and upsetting mood as days past..as I know he is also v disappointed w himself..n afterall..it is but juz a material item. I even told him that he can lose the cross I gav him..but he wil nver lose the real Cross thats embedded inside of him..n his salvation. I love how Christ is dwelling in me and him so closely. Letting go of the desire of finding it back. N letting God take over.

And exactly on yet another sunday..it is found! In my home! If not for the pimples on my face, I wldnt have wanted to air those pillows, using the dining chair to place out at the balcony..and if not for the sudden change in weather from sunny 36deg to sudden gusts of strong wind with slight drizzle (always happens here).. with me rushing to keep them indoors and holding the chair sideways.. it wldnt have dropped dangling by the side of the cushion! Omg .. my God my God.. how faithful are you. .and yes..miracles do happen..they always do. PTL! Love Jesus!

Never lose this

Get Your Joy Back
by Rick Warren
"The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17 NLT)

What's the easiest thing for you to lose? Your glasses? Your keys? Your mind?

The easiest thing of all to lose is your joy. You can lose it with one phone call or email, a letter or conversation. You can watch a commercial on TV and lose your joy. It's the easiest thing in the world to lose. And a lot of people in a lot of circumstances are conspiring to rob it from you.

When God's children aren't filled with joy, it makes God look bad. Cranky Christians are a bad witness. They look like they've been baptized in vinegar because they're never really smiling. And that makes God look bad.

Why? Because God wants us to be witnesses with our countenance.

The Bible tells us that the Christian life can be summed up in three words: goodness, peace, and joy. Romans 14:17 says, "The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (NLT).

The reality is, though, that you can lose your joy so quickly, and there are thousands of ways to lose it. There are thousands of killjoys in life that will rob you of your joy, even to the point that somebody like Jeremiah, a prophet of God, could say this in Lamentations 5:15, "There is no joy left in our hearts" (GW).

I don't know if that's where you are today, but if you've ever gone through that period where you feel like you've lost the spark and you're not as close to God as you used to be and you're just going through the motions of life, you need to know that it's quite easy to get your joy back, too.

So, how do you get your joy back?

The first step you need to do is admit you've lost it.

You simply look at your past and ask yourself a couple of questions: Has there ever been a time in your life when you were closer to God than you are right now? Has there ever been a time in your life when you were more joyful in the Lord than you are right now?

Now is the time to make the change. But you've got to start by admitting that you've lost what you've had in the past. You could ask God about it; he's waiting to help you. David prayed this in Psalm 51:12: "Restore to me the joy of your salvation" (NIV).

Talk It Over

Think of a time when you were more joyful in the Lord. What was different then about your spiritual walk and quiet time?
 
What are the things that rob you of your joy? Do those things change anything about God? Should they change anything about how much

That 20k apple

2 yr agos I posted a naked apple here..couldnt find that post anywhere n not sure why. The title was somewhere along a 20k apple..some thought it was an atas Japanese kinda apple. Ha..

It was merely an apple my dad skinned for me while talking about me contributing that amount to their future flat.

2 yrs later.. no escape. And also, no more skinned apple or cut fruits. Nevertheless, more miracles to come. Storing up treasures in heaven where no moth or rust will destroy is wiser.