The real qi

The real Qi 

Read that dao is the void brightening that made the universe that formed qi. The clear qi made the heavens and the heavy qi made the earth. But all this was added on later by neo Confucians. The real meaning of qi I believe can be gathered from the original Chinese writings of qi. 

The traditional form qi 氣 is “steam (气) rising from rice (米) as it cooks”. The earliest way of writing qi consisted of three wavy lines, used to represent one's breath seen on a cold day.

Qi is frequently translated as "energy flow" or vitalism.  The literal translation of "qi" is air, breath, or gas.

It is written in Genesis 1:1-2  (written > 1450 BC) way before Bhuddism (460 BC) / Confucianism (500-600BC) /Chinese writing of Qi (1122 - 221 BC) 

" 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."

The maker of the heavens and earth is God and the holy spirit was already present then, hovering over the waters (this is the real qi that we should acknowledge). 

It is the son of God, Jesus, who was given the authority to create all things and He existed before all things.

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the Word (Jesus) was with God and the Word ( Jesus) was with God.

Colossians 1:16
For by Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.

Do be careful when you listen to the qiqong master. He would say to breathe in qi but this qi does not acknowledge God. Qiqong teaches that you can garner qi yourself for healing, so then there is no room for God.

My aunt says not to over analyze things because ultimately I just need to learn the steps for exercise purpose. And so I did today. I switched on the cd and heard the explanation for the "shoulder roll" and "butterfly step" which are some loosening techniques.

I believe there will be an erosion of faith over time especially if you are too busy for quiet time for God but you have time for qiqong. The exercises were good. I took in the steps, asked the holy spirit for guidance, paused the cd and switched on Christian music and just flowed with it using the qiqong steps. If you are prepared to do this way, then maybe there will be limited erosion of faith.

I read Psalms 103:
"Praise the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefits who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases".

It is God and not the qiqong that heals you? The real "qi" in a Christian is the holy spirit that quickens our mortal body and heals us.  As our mind is renewed with the word of God ( which is spirit and life John 6:63), it flows into our spirit man and into our bodies for healing. I daily meditate on God's words and imagine God's life, the holy spirit flowing through every pore, every cell, every organ of my body for my healing and I would like to take it a step higher to moving the body as well while meditating on Jesus - like praise dance. 

Romans 8:11
"And if the Spirit of Him who raise Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you"

In that way, when healing comes, we give glory back to God and we will still rooted in His word through meditation of His word and NOT emptying out our minds because if we do that, the words of the qiqong master are the only words that you will most likely retain that will take you away from God.

Thank you Holy Spirit for guiding me today with the qiqong exercises and highlighting to me just a fraction of how far both beliefs are. You, O Lord alone are my rock, my Healer and my salvation. Salvation into eternal life and not into nothingness, to a life spent in eternity with You whether we are dead or alive. That is the assurance we have in God through Jesus Christ! Heaven in our heart now and forever! 

Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights - Part 5

Unifi is celebrating their first anniversary this year and we can watch for free all the premium channels till the end of April. I caught this show called " Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights" on BBC Knowledge. I caught it at just the right moment when she caught a glimpse of the Northern Lights. It was so clear it felt I was there except without the winter wear. It is so beautiful and I started to cry because it is such an awesome sight! I could really relate to her running commentary. I love the lights above the cottage above the mountains. It is like "Christmas" winter paintings in storybooks but only this is real. You cannot deny the Person behind it, the Creator. Although it can be explained away scientifically but the source of it all is still God.

The bible says in Colosians 1:15-17

"15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together"

I found the YouTube movie for the part that she saw the Northern Lights but it is not as clear as the one on TV. Do catch it if you get a chance. It is so so beautiful. I could not help but say out aloud "Thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus" in between sobs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ8xd6xnZ9U&feature=youtube_gdata_player

PS. Er, I also found out there are no PENGUINS in north pole, only the south pole!

Update - Psalm 92

 
This morning I could sing! Normally, the first words spoken are the worse in the morning. I will sing and cough, sing and cough. I notice I don't cough so much in church or in bible study during worship. I think it is because so many of us are there praising God together, we are encouraging each other in singing and God inhabits the praises of His people. So, amazingly, my voice is strong and I can praise aloud. So, I praise God this morning because I could sing in understanding and also in the spirit.

Psalm 92:1-2
"It is good to praise the LORD 
   and make music to your name, O Most High, 
proclaiming your love in the morning..."
   

Psalm 92:4
"For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD; 
   I sing for joy at what your hands have done."

I thanked God for Marvin's sermon yesterday. Only the day before, Nic asked why he still had bad dreams even though Henry prayed for him. Nic said innocently "Is it because Father God was busy?". Father God is never too busy, He never sleeps. We told him it is because he didn't believe in the prayer. He uses prayer like a talisman rather than actually believing in God to deliver him. I understand from the sermon that it is also because we give up too easily. We are too pray boldly, pressing in, foot at the door, manfully, with perseverance. I am not sure whether Nic understood me so I asked him to repeat and he said "to keep praying and not give up".

I believe it is the same when asking God for healing. We are to press on, never giving up because God's promises are true because God cannot lie. We are to persevere manfully and not take it lying down and wait and see whether it is His will to heal ie passive. The bible shows that all who came to Jesus was healed. What Paul faced (the thorn in the flesh in 2 Corinthians 12:7) I believe was not sickness but an affliction by a messenger of Satan to torment him and God allowed it to keep him humble. I say this so that my reading of the bible makes sense else in every part of the bible. Maybe one day I will have a clearer understanding.

Psalm 92:5
How great are your works, LORD, 
   how profound your thoughts!"

I also thank God that my cough has reduced since yesterday. Nic noticed I didn't cough in the morning. Although, I did cough later, it is much lesser. I do notice that when I sweat and I get a chill, I start to cough non stop. So, I have to wipe dry, drink some hot water and keep warm. 

I had so much energy yesterday, I could host dinner for Helen and her family. I whipped out some Jamie Oliver burgers from his book "jamie's dinners". Little Ethan helped prepare the hors d'œuvre. First, he laid out the Kraft Ritz biscuits on a tray. Then, he placed a teaspoon of tuna mix and  arranged crisscross strips of cucumber on top of each biscuit. When our guests came, they did not touch the hors d'œuvre. He noticed it remained untouched after dinner so he said "Why no one eat the biscuits?". We were all so amused at his reaction, we started gulping down his creation and watched him cheer up.

Little Ethan also helped me with the mashed potato because he asked me "Is there any more work for me?" When his brother came back from English class, Ethan told his brother "kor kor, I mashed the potatoes!".

So, I lift my hands today for a wonderful day yesterday and for new healing - the first signs of reduction of cough. Although, we do not need good food for God to heal us because His one spoken word would do, I thank God that He used the low dose naltrexone and the stem tech pills (I am into my 6th bottle) to strengthen my immune system. Thank you so much to all of you for praying for my cough to go away.


Psalm 92:10-11
" You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; 
   fine oils have been poured on me. 
My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; 
   my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes."

Yes, you cancer, you cough, you are defeated adversaries and God has routed you in Jesus' name! To God be the glory!

Psalm 92:8

"..you, LORD, are forever exalted."

Update

Update

Thank you Aunty Kiki for providing me monthly with Amway's Double X and Nutrilite Nutri Bifidus. Thank you Pantai Baptist Church for your blessings through financial assistance. Thank you Siew Har for the E excel balm to ease the soreness around the chest area! Praise the Lord for your many blessings and prayers!

Half of the right sde of my head was in mild headache for the past week. I kept applying balm to relieve the headache and finally, after the past two days of self "guasa" to just scrape the head and cause the blood to flow again, the pain finally left me. Praise the Lord! Thank you Jesus for good idea.

I am still coughing. The soreness in the chest area seems to have gone down a little. I really believe it is a battle of the mind that I am facing and I received a confirmation by word of knowledge from Ps Inky at Elpizo when she held my hands and saw a beautiful princess with hair all prettily done up sitting on a beautiful throne, legs together, hands neatly together but dressed in beggar's clothing. It is as if something is robbing me of the victory I have in Jesus and I know she meant all the different symptoms that are pulling me down and discouraging me eg cough, soreness in chest and then the headache. It is so wonderful to know that it is not only I who see it as a battle of the mind but also this pastor who does not know me.

She started pulling out all these evil spirits that is holding me back from the victory in Christ, from preventing me to wear "beautiful clothes" because that is my heritage in Christ!

My faith just rose and my spirit encouraged when Ps Inky prayed that prayer over my life. Sometimes, the evil spirits can be so discouraging, I feel I have lost my voice to praise and sing to Him or even pray in tongues but my mind is renewed now and I am going to pray in tongues even more now with the help of the holy spirit!

Please pray that God will strengthen me by the power of the holy spirit in my inner man.

Ps Inky gave us 4 points to take home today:
1. Choose to understand that God knows our situation by depending on the holy spirit. Choose to have an appetite for God and your joy will be restored.

2. Accept your destiny. Not in the sense to be become mellow and expect to die but to accept your destiny and fight the battle. We prepare our spirit to be strong and vigilant. Our faith level will arise as the holy spirit is in us. As we walk the journey with victory our transformed lives will be a testimony to others to God's glory.

3. Arise to go the extra mile to care for others even when we don't feel like it. As we help others, even our energy level and our faith level will arise.

4. Forgiveness. Choose to forgive. Ask God to help us to articulate it out.

I asked Philson how he is doing after taking the low dose naltrexone He said he has been taking only for a week and he showed me thumbs up! He said he is feeling good and sleeping like a babe! Praise the Lord!

As for me, my energy level is up except I still cough. I no longer have any nerve pain. Praise the Lord! In Jesus name, I pray for your healing power to flow through the naltrexone, stem tech pills and all the nutrients I am taking to just boost up my immune system and cause all the natural killer cells to arise to hunt down and destroy all the cancer cells. I curse the seed and the root of all the cancer cells within me. I command all inflamation in my bronchi to die down in Jesus' name. I bind and break all spirit of affliction and spirit of cancer and cast them into the deepest depths of the sea in Jesus' name. Father God, let your abundant life flow through me with every breathe I take in Jesus' name. Holy spirit, quicken my mortal body. I believe that by Jesus' stripes I am healed and made whole. In Jesus' name I pray Amen.

Hard Rock Hotel - Part 2

Beatles memorabillas everywhere. Oh, sliding mirror in the bathroom opens up to a giant portrait of Elvis Presley!

Have a close look..word formed out of hanging fibre optics which changes lights. Pretty!

Building also changes color by night..purple..blue...

Hard Rock Hotel Penang - Part 1

Nic's attempt to play water volleyball..good technique..actually he is just splashing water! ;)

Well combed wet look

Just got into the pool..water is colllllld at first..endless water features everywhere!

Bar tender, 100 plus please

As Heavy as 3 sacks of Rice!

Well, almost. Ethan weighs between 28 kg to 29 kg. So, when he fell asleep in the car on our way to fetching Nic from Boys Brigade recently, I was worried I would not be able to carry him out of the car into the shopping centre where we were to meet Henry. What if he was in deep sleep?

I suddenly had an idea to pull up the car by the road side and called Henry to gauge how far away he was (in another car). Looking back, I believe it was the holy spirit that prompted me at the right time.

The car park was quite full and we were slowly circling the car park. After awhile, I noticed people walking towards their cars - two groups of them, about two cars apart. As I waited for one of them to reverse, I looked backwards and saw Henry's car behind mine! Praise the Lord! I thought he would park in the space 2 cars away but instead he parked just next to mine!  I did not even see anyone approaching the car next to me!  Amazing! My heart was so thankful, I just thanked Jesus. He cares for even the little details of our lives. Even though Henry left the house slightly later, he still ended up behind me just in time. Even though there was available car park space 2 cars away, God would still make a way for us to park side by side in a fairly full car park!

It was as if we had arrived at the shopping centre in one car! It was so easy for Henry to then just open my door and carry sleeping Ethan, who is as heavy as 3 sacks of rice! Praise the Lord! Thank you Jesus for looking after even the smallest details of our lives because you love us so!

God is a personal God who loves each and everyone of us. In the case of the 10 lepers, he healed all 10 of them but only one of them returned to thank Jesus (see Luke 17:11-19 below). He cares for even the smallest details of my life, sometimes which I take for granted and I am reminded once again to thank Jesus for His marvelous works! All glory to God!

Psalm 105:5
Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced

Luke 17:11-19
Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Greetings from tropical Penang!

There was a warning going round via sms that the radiation from the nuclear plant in Japan would reach our shores by 15 March 2011 and we were thinking it would be bad to get out in the open. Anyway, it turned out to be a hoax and even if were true, it rained heavily yesterday all the way from KL to Penang, washing away any foul air.

So, it's greetings from sunny Penang! We're at the Hard Rock Hotel. Nic says "I hate rockers!" because they look fierce and resembles ghost. Last night the hotel had some "rockers" playing their music at the lobby area and their music filled the air right to our rooms when the balcony door is opened.

This morning I saw two eagles soaring in the sky above the beach pool. Hard Rock keeps the kids busy here throughout the day till 8 pm. Yesterday, the kids got to dance to YMCA at the pool area and today Nic got to join in with the other kids for water volleyball. There was also japanese language learning at one of the time slots.

For Ethan, food is more important so he came upstairs to share food. We were given RM200 vouchers to the food outlets here and so far I have been cashing in on Hard Rock Cafe. Although the hotel says we can't dine in the room for this promotion, Hard Rock Cafe tells me otherwise. Today, they allowed me to order salad and minestrone soup and the Hard Rock Cafe staff even delievered it to my room! I think as long as you don't use the hotel staff to deliver the food, the hotel is not concerned what you negotiate with Hard Rock Cafe. Free food, free delivery!

Nicholas discovered a new love for Assam lakes at the Penang Teochew Chendol Cafe at Komtar and later we discovered yummy char kuey teow opposite the Old House Cafe (Low Fang Zi) on Jalan Kimberly recommended by an old man at the Chendol place. They still use charcoal to fry!

We will be checking out the toy museum soon! Thank you Jesus for a wonderful time and just the opportunity to get out and breathe some fresh sea air. I could not resist the pool today and took a dip in the free form swimming pool cum beach cum water playground. It is so fun here except the electric guitars do drive Henry up the wall...he he..

Ethan prays for mummy

Ethan prays for mummy

During bedtime on Monday, Ethan suddenly said his battery was low and then said "Mummy, your battery is low too because you cough, cough, cough. Your battery will go down, down, down". I told Ethan he should pray for me. Ethan prayed "Father God, please take mummy's cough away. In Jesus' name. Amen". Then he adds "Now, your battery is up, up, up!". So, Henry and I both claimed healing!

The next morning, I received a sms from Maria of Elpizo (one of the committee members) saying God burdened her heart to pray for me on Monday night as well as the following morning! 

The above came about soon after I have been crying out to God to ease this cough and take away the soreness in the chest area. I know nothing is a coincidence with God. It is like communicating to God spirit to spirit and this is how He responded. The next morning, I went to Elpizo and as I thanked Maria for praying for me, she said that when she senses God asking her to pray for someone specific, she will drop praying for others and just focus prayer for that someone. She set aside praying for the other cancer overcomers as well as Malaysia just to pray for me! I was nearly in tears when she told me this. 

Helen called me this afternoon to check how I am doing after taking  the stem tech pills. I told her about the soreness at the chest area and she said it could be a healing crisis. I pray it is so. Last month, shortly after taking the stem tech pills I had ultra painful menses experience like those during teenage time! But I have overcome that now and this month's is smooth sailing.

Last night, Henry showed me a little note from a man whose wife was diagnosed with lung cancer 28 months ago had her last scan on 9 March 2011 showing her tumor is now gone from taking low dose naltrexone. Henry said "Read it and be encouraged." I pray you will be too. http://www.ldndatabase.com/ourstory.html

Praise the Lord! He heard my cries and He answered me! He loves me and gets others to pray for me, gives me information to encourage me. Thank you Jesus! I thank you all for praying for me.

God is the Strength of my Heart (by Eugene Greco)

Psalm 73:25-26
"Whom have I in heaven but you? 
   And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 
My flesh and my heart may fail, 
   but God is the strength of my heart 
   and my portion forever."

I wrote recently that this psalm reminded me of the song "Nobody" by Wonder Girls. I found out later that Eugene Greco wrote "God is the Strength of My Heart" based on the above psalm! Amazing! New discovery every morning.

Check out the song sung by Don Moen on YouTube and lyrics below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ08_tDGXks&feature=youtube_gdata_player

God is the Strength of my Heart (lyrics)

Whom have I in heaven but You
There is nothing on earth I desire beside You
My heart and my strength many times they fail
But there is one truth that always will prevail

Chorus
God is the strength of my heart
God is the strength of my heart
God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever, forever

Understanding the Prophecy of Isaiah – Part 1

I’ve been praying to God to strengthen my body so that I can attend bible class. Last week, I had a prompting to contact Leong Tien Fook and ask him if he has started any classes in any churches and he replied that he has - just last week at First Baptist Church in Subang Jaya! Praise the Lord! I was jumping up and down and really excited because last week was just an introduction and last night, we started studying the book of Isaiah! There are 5 more lessons to go and it is every Wednesday night from 8pm to 10pm.

I decided not to sign up for Isaiah class under BSF because I felt God could use me better if I went for Elpizo instead to encourage others rather than to get stuck in a regimented bible class for a full year. So, I am so delighted that I have another opportunity to study the book of Isaiah.

The study is entitled “Understanding the Prophecy of Isaiah”.

Interestingly, Isaiah 7 is my rhema from God that the cancer will not rise up against me. It will be too shattered. It is interesting to study historically what actually happened in the 8th century BC to Syria and Israel after Isaiah’s prophecies.

There are so many names of regions in chapter 7, it threw me off initially. I found a website that helped me visualize where Aram, Damascus and Syria were located:

http://www.bible-history.com/geography/maps/map_ancient_aram_damascus.html

Things to know:
Syria in Hebrew is Aram. It’s main city is Damascus.
Ephraim is in Samaria.
Samaria is the capital of Israel (Northern Kingdom)
Jerusalem is in Judah (Southern Kingdom)

Setting: Assyria, a very powerful empire then

In 735 BC, God spoke to Isaiah when Ahaz was king of Judah. King Rezin of Aram (Syria) and King Pekah of Israel fought Jerusalem but could not overpower it (verse 1). It was the chastisement of God upon King Ahaz that the Lord began to send the 2 kings against Judah (2 Kings 15:37). Ahaz had not done what was right in the Lord's sight and even sacrificed his son in the fire (2 Kings 16:1-5). Due to the alliance of the 2 kings, Ahaz and the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken (verse 2). Isaiah prophesied that the 2 kings would attack Judah but they would not be successful if Ahaz stood firm in his faith in God and even encouraged Ahaz to ask for a sign but Ahaz refused. Ahaz asked for help from the King of Assyria and even took some things from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace and presented it to King assyria but that did not help him (2 Chronicles 28:16-21). Because Ahaz refused to trust God, Isaiah (in Chapter 7) gave 2 of the following prophecies to the house of David:

1) Isaiah 8:3-4
Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the LORD said to me, "Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. Before the boy knows how to say 'My father' or 'My mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria."


It takes about 2 to 3 years for a little child to say “my father” or “my mother”. In fulfillment of the scripture, Assyria took Syria (Damascus) captive in 732 BC, 3 years after God spoke to Isaiah.


2) Isaiah 7:14-17
14Therefore the Lord himself will give youc a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.15He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. 16But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. 17The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.”

To the Jews, children before 13 years old begin moral accountability and start going to Hebrew school. In fulfillment of the prophecy, Assyria captured Samaria (Ephraim) within 13 years from the time God spoke to Isaiah regarding this prophecy.

In 722, BC Assyria defeated Samaria (capital city of Israel).

In the past, God spoke to the people of Israel through the prophets. Isaiah was one of them and many of his prophecies, we can observe today have been fulfilled. Isaiah’s prophecies in chapter 7, covered both a short term fulfillment (during his time) and a long term fulfillment where Jesus was the child born of a virgin. He prophesied it 700 years before Jesus was born. In the above prophecy, Isaiah saw the virgin (in Hebrew just means unmarried maiden and during that time unmarried maidens can be assumed as virgin) pregnant. This was fulfilled in Luke 1:31 when an angel appeared to Mary and said

“31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.””

That Mary was pregnant, was a visible miracle for all to see.

In Isaiah 9:6-7, he had a vision of the child born and is called Mighty God and Everlasting Father.

“6For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor,b Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.”

That Jesus was born in the manger in Bethlehem (also foretold) and angels appeared to the shepherd and later the magis followed the star and visited Jesus was a visible miracle for all to see.

And in Isaiah 11:1-2, Isaiah saw Jesus anointed with the holy spirit.
“1A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—
3and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.”

This was fulfilled when Jesus was baptized and John saw the spirit of God descend like a dove and lighting on Jesus (Matthew 3:16). This too was a visible miracle to John and maybe to all present at the baptism too.

We can believe that God truly spoke to Isaiah because we have seen these prophecies miraculously fulfilled today. We can also then be convicted that the same will be true of God’s other promises spoken through many prophets and who Jesus himself claims to be, the son of God. This shows that our faith is not just blind faith but faith that rests on historical facts and we can trust God.

Update - Be Still and Know That I am God

I think because I have been coughing for so long, the chest area now feels sore. I pray for any inflammation to go away and I pray for God to ease my nerves, veins and muscles in the chest area. As I prayed this morning, I suddenly thought of lathering some oil on my chest, so I did and then kept it warm. I pray that God will grant me His favour and comfort me once again.

I believe I am healed by the blood of Jesus and this is another phase of battle of the mind and against the powers of darkness that I have to face. I bind the spirit of affliction that causes me to cough to discourage me. I found this verse in the bible that comforted me so.

1 Peter 1:8
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

So, I am looking at Jesus and asking Him to fill me with inexpressible and glorious joy so that I do not worry about the cough so much. The following verses have also brought me much comfort:

Isaiah 41:10

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. …"

“For I am your God” makes more sense to me now that I have experienced Him personally and just hearing this verse comforts me because my God is mighty in power and loving. While Jesus was in the boat with Peter facing a storm (like how I am in a storm now) Jesus got up from sleep, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" (Mark 4:39). Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

Jesus was unfazed by the storm just as I believe He is also unfazed by this little storm I am facing because He has already granted me victory through all the sings, word and His promises given to me. As he said to the disciples “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”. This is very humbling indeed because I know He loves me so and He is always there to catch me when I fall even in this battle of the mind I am facing now with the cough.

In Psalm 46:10, God says "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Yes, in His timing, He will issue that one command to the cough to go away. In the meantime, I stay close to Jesus knowing He will bring me out of the storm.

I am not my own

1 Corinthians 6:19,20
"...... You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."

Derek Prince in his book "Entering the presence of God" said few Christians realize that God wants our entire bodies just like how the bodies of the animals that were slain were placed entirely upon the altar. The only exception as compared to the tabernacle days is that He wants us not dead but alive.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 clearly tells me I am not my own. Imagine, I am not our own..... but I live life the way I think fit, according to my own rushed wisdom or what I desire. This was one part of my life I know now that I was not following Jesus. I really thought it was alright to sweep some words of God under the carpet. It is no wonder I landed into so much trouble. I am sorry Lord.

May the following devotion from www.seedofthekingdom.com bless you today. :)

******

Partial Obedience is Disobedience!


“So God said to Noah . . . make yourself an ark . . .  this is how you are to build it. The ark is to be  450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high . ..”   
from Genesis 6:13-15, NIV

God not only asked Noah to build a boat, but gave him very precise instructions about the size of the vessel and how the ark was to be built. It was to be a vessel with a very specific purpose which would be large enough to take on board the biggest floating menageries the world has ever seen – either before or since!

Now, when Noah heard God speaking to him he could easily have said “Yes, Lord, I’ll build a boat – but I think you must have got the design a bit wrong, I think it would be best if I made a few alterations to the plans!” So Noah  might have set to work to build a vessel and done it, in Frank Sinatra style, ‘My Way!’ And when the boat was finished it turned out to be a magnificent pleasure yacht for him and his family! Noah would have been totally obedient to God by building a boat, but completely disobedient to God by building the boat to his own design instead of God’s.

When the flood came, and God told him to gather on board the vessel two of every animal under the sun, Noah’s pleasure craft would have proved woefully inadequate for the task. His partial obedience would have destroyed God’s plan. It would have been no good Noah protesting to God that at least he built a boat – it would have been sinful disobedience.

When you read the stories of the Kings of Judah and Israel you find many short comments about their lives. One of which says that “Amaziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly” (2 Chronicles 25:2) Eventually Amaziah turned away from the Lord and finally he lost his life in tragic circumstances! For him partial obedience was an unmitigated disaster.

It’s vital that when God speaks to us and shows us from His Word the way to live, and what He wants us to be and to do, that we don’t compromise with partial obedience. Each of our lives is like a vessel that, like Noah, we are building day by day. We have a destiny to fulfil, but partial obedience will always mean that we’re never quite fit for th4e Master’s use.

Prayer:  Thank you, Lord, for these powerful lessons from Scripture. I’m sorry, Lord, for times in my life when I have been less than wholehearted in following you and have, as a result, only been partially obedient. Forgive me Lord for this disobedience and help me to start again, with your help, and build the right vessel for the purposes you have for me in the future. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

******

Ethan and mum in law not too well

Do pray for Ethan and my mother in law. Ethan has been having bouts of vomitting since Monday night and my mother in law was not feeling well right after her China trip. She has overcome the tiredness bit but is currently down with conjunctivitis. She is currently looking after Ethan- so both down together-gether.

Praise God that Ethan overcame his ulcers from Monday night. He was slightly feverish, with ulcers and refused to take his medicine. So, I prayed while he slept and praise God, shortly after that, his fever broke as his t shirt was wet and we had to change him out of it. The next night, we shone a torchlight to his throat and ulcers were gone! Praise the Lord!

Please pray for them both, for Ethan's stomach woes to go away and my mother in law's eyes to heal. Thanks so much in advance.

Update - Endorphins released

One more good news! Of late, I have been sweating quite a bit especially after hot meals. Henry read from the naltrexone forum that the endorphins released as a result of taking the low dose naltrexone causes sweating. So, the drug is working as the endorphins are being released! Praise the Lord! Thank you Jesus! :)

Nobody by Wonder Girls

Nobody by Wonder Girls

This popular song by Wonder Girls I realise, comes with dance moves that many people can follow. Ethan's school concert last year taught the five year olds similar dance steps and even Ethan who was observing the practices picked up some of the steps.

It goes:

"I want nobody nobody But You, I want nobody nobody But You

........

I want nobody nobody nobody nobody"

Last night, I stumbled upon Psalm 73:25-26 and tears were just streaming down as I read it over and over again. It is so wonderful to worship our God and have this love relationship with Him. It seems not too long that I was spiritually dry and longing to fellowship with God again but now even Psalm 73:26-26 makes me cry and yes, I thought of how similar the psalm was to the Wonder Girl chorus bit. :) Through Him, I receive all my blessings in life, my family and friends and good health. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 73:25-26

"25 Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

26 My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever."

"My flesh and my heart may fail," refers to the cough that never seems to go away. I know it is deceit from the devil, discouragement given to me by the evil one to prevent me from seeing the victory that I have in Jesus. I know it is a deceit because my energy level is up and I am putting on a bit of weight. So I cry out to God for He is my strength who helps through this moment. I bind and break every spirit of affliction and discouragement and every work of darkness that comes against me and I cast them into the deepest part of the sea in Jesus' name. May God fill me heart with His love, joy and peace. Amen!