Greg Laurie

C. S. Lewis wrote, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

We generally want to avoid pain at all costs. Yet is impossible to live a pain-free life. And as C. S. Lewis suggested, God will use pain in our lives to get our attention.

Perhaps something has happened in your life recently that is waking you to the reality that you need to get right with God. It may have been the death of a close friend or perhaps your own recent close brush with death. Maybe some other kind of crisis has hit, showing you your need for God.

The Bible tells the story of a proud, young man who didn't think that he needed God. This was in spite of the fact that his grandfather, King Nebuchadnezzar, had come to faith in God. In his day, Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful man on the planet. He had at his disposal the treasures of the world, with thousands of slaves to do his work, day and night. This was reflected in the glory of Babylon, with its high, broad walls and hanging gardens, which were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Nebuchadnezzar once stood on the balcony of his palace, looked out across the city and remarked, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?" (Daniel 4:30 NIV) He was saying, "I'm king of the world!" –and he was.

We can feel that way, too. The bills are paid, our health is good, and the skies are blue. We begin to take credit for all that we possess and have accomplished. But this is when we need to be careful, because everything we have is a gift from God: our health, our family, our possessions, our career and even our very breath.

We might be like Nebuchadnezzar and think, "Who needs, or even wants, God?" But then the bottom drops out. That is what happened to Nebuchadnezzar. God told him, "Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes" (Daniel 4:31 NIV).

Nebuchadnezzar suffered from some type of mental illness for a time, but then he came to his senses and believed in God. Yet his grandson Belshazzar couldn't have cared less about Grandpa Neb – in spite of the fact that he had heard of the great miracles God had performed, like predicting the future and delivering Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace. Not only did Belshazzar not believe in God, but he went out of his way to insult and mock God. And that, by the way, is a really bad idea.

As Jim Croce used to sing, "You don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind, you don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger, and you don't mess around with Jim." I would add that you don't mock God either, because the Bible says, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows" (Galatians 6:7 NIV).

I once laughed at Christians. I thought Christianity was all a joke, and meanwhile, my life was empty and lame. I had tried partying, drinking and drugs, and I was searching. And one day, instead of mocking Christians, I actually listened to their message, and my life changed as a result.

Belshazzar, however, didn't listen to God's message. He ignored it, and he did so to his own peril. He had inherited everything he had from his grandfather, who had been humbled and later restored, but like many young people, Belshazzar didn't learn from his elders. Sitting in security and splendor, young Belshazzar decided it was party time. He gave a great feast for 1,000 of his lords, no doubt in honor of some pagan god or gods. But while all this was happening, judgment was at the door. God, with his own finger, scrawled some heavenly graffiti on the wall: "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin" (Daniel 5:25 NIV).

A terrified Belshazzar called in his astrologers, who could not help him. Then his grandmother told him about an old prophet named Daniel, who had helped his grandfather come to faith in God. The 90-year-old Daniel walked into the presence of the terrified young king, told him about his grandfather's conversion, and reminded him that he knew better. Then he interpreted God's handwriting for the young king: "Mene" meant "numbered"; "tekel" meant "weighed"; and "parsin" meant "divided."

To loosely paraphrase, God had numbered the days of Belshazzar's life, and the party was over. He had weighed Belshazzar's life on the balances, and he failed the test. His kingdom had been divided and given to the Medes and Persians. Belshazzar's number was up. The writing was on the wall.

In the same way, the Bible tells us our days are numbered (see Psalm 90:10). We don't know when our lives will end. But rather than be depressed by this fact, it should motivate us to want to make each day count and glorify the God who made us.

So don't waste your life and find this out the hard way. Don't put off getting right with God like Belshazzar did. Because one day we all will be weighed on God's divine scales.

by Michael Youssef

Are your circumstances weighing you down? Do you feel trapped in your present situation? If so, you may be searching for a way out of your suffering. You may be vainly trying to find relief and solace in the flawed solutions of this world. Yet as we learn from the apostle Paul, God is the only solution to our struggles.

For years, Paul struggled with what he called "a thorn in my flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7). Scholars have theorized about what this might have been, but no one knows for sure what Paul faced. We do, however, know that it was mentally and physically exhausting for Paul. Perhaps because we aren't certain what it was, we can relate more to Paul's struggle as we compare it to our own.

In the midst of his pain and suffering, Jesus spoke directly to Paul, reassuring him of His watchcare. "Three times," says Paul, "I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'" (2 Corinthians 12:8-9).

Few of us like to think of ourselves as being weak. We like to think of ourselves as self-sufficient, even in our spirituality. We think we need to be strong in our Christian walk, so when sorrow comes, we strike out against it. When faced with discouragement, we draw back in fear. In the face of disappointments, we become angry, wondering if God has forgotten us. But He hasn't, and He won't.

God didn't forget nor dismiss Paul's thorn, and He won't overlook ours. He uses life's stresses-physical and emotional-to draw us closer to Him. He can speak to us and show us how and where His grace is most efficient.

God could have eliminated Paul's struggle in a moment. But He knew that Paul would receive the greater blessing and the greater lesson by learning to rely on God's perfect strength through his difficulties. God knew that His grace would not manifest nor shine in a strong and self-sufficient person like it would in a man who suffered in weakness.

Rather than removing Paul's distress, God used it to strengthen His servant and teach him about His faithfulness in all circumstances. By trusting the Savior, Paul learned so much about mercy and grace. He discovered that no matter what he faced, God's power and grace were available to him-nothing is more powerful than these.

Paul wrote, "I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Do you find yourself stretched to the breaking point today? Even if you believe "I can't take another day of this. I just need to leave, to escape, to begin again,"-you can't outrun God. When you are faced with hardship, you need to run toward Him, not away from His love.

Some people, even Christians, have been running from God their whole lives. When the storms of life come, instead of leaning on the everlasting arms of Christ, they choose to run to false shelters, attempting to escape His reach. In the Psalms, King David had a realization about the wonder of God's grace and forgiveness, rather than running.

He wrote, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast" (Psalm 139:7-10).

People who run from God miss some of His greatest joys and blessings by failing to turn to Christ for grace and power in times of weakness. God's supernatural strength is a surge of hope and encouragement when we face difficulty or feel trapped by our circumstances. He brings an embrace of love when we suffer rejection or betrayal.

Without a doubt, you can know that no matter what life menaces you with, God will pull you to safety if you call on Him. He is the One that can save you from certain defeat and give you the hope you need. You will also find that when you pray to Him, He will deliver you from the sin that threatens your fellowship with Him.

An eternal sense of peace and security is readily available to us through prayer. Panic and anxiety are no match for God's grace. He goes before us into life's battles. The victory is ours, though it does not come through our efforts or strength. It comes from His hands and His grace. No one is more committed to our success than Christ.

No matter what you face, God's grace is sufficient. His power is revealed and made perfect through your weakness. Never be ashamed to cry out to the Lord. He listens for you and will come to you, fulfilling the promise of His matchless, perfect grace.

According to Webster, to lie is "1: to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive; 2: to create a false or misleading impression" (Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary 1981). Although Christians will sometimes quote Webster as an authority on this subject, it is obvious, at least from a Biblical standpoint, that he is not totally correct in his definition of a lie. Obviously, "to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive" is an accurate description of a lie, but "to create a false or misleading impression" is not. How do I know this? Well, in 1 Samuel 16, we have a perfect example of this point. Samuel, the prophet, is instructed by Jehovah to go to Bethlehem for the express purpose of anointing another king over Israel. Understandably, the prophet was concerned about King Saul learning of his mission because he was afraid Saul would have him killed. Knowing something about the character of Saul, we have every reason to believe that Samuel was not just being overly cautious—Saul was certainly the kind of man who would kill to protect his throne. But, in order to allow Samuel's primary purpose to go undetected, Jehovah devised a stratagem (i.e., a cleverly contrived scheme to outwit the enemy and gain an end). The Lord told Samuel to take a heifer with him and say: "I have come to sacrifice to the Lord" (verse 2). Then we are told:

---

So Samuel did what the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice" (verses 4 & 5a).

---

I think you will agree with me that Samuel did not tell the whole truth. Although what he said was true, it served to conceal his primary purpose, which, if discovered, would most assuredly not have been considered peaceful by the elders who questioned him. In other words, if Saul had known what was going on, he probably would have been trying to kill not just the prophet, but he would more than likely be wanting to execute any in the town he thought to be accomplices. Therefore, otherwise critical information was being withheld from the elders, and they would not have thought the prophet's visit peaceful.

So, according to Webster's definition (viz., "to create a false or misleading impression"), not only did Samuel lie, but God actually instructed him to do so! Who can believe it? Obviously, any definition of lying that would have the Lord encouraging one to do what is sinful cannot be correct (cf. James 1:13). Therefore, from a Scriptural point of view, the creating of a false or misleading impression is not necessarily a lie.Consequently, I believe it Scriptural to say that although lying is always wrong and can never be justified under any circumstances (this makes me a moral absolutist), hiding the whole truth from one's adversaries is not always wrong and ought not to always be categorized as lying.

The aforementioned preacher, in carrying out the commands of the Lord to carry His gospel to a lost and dying world would not be lying when listing his occupation as "teacher." Yes, it is true that he was hoping to conceal his true occupation, but he did not state anything that was untrue (i.e., he did not have to deny that he was a gospel preacher), for a preacher is, in deed, a teacher of the Word. Therefore, I believe the Christian who charges this preacher with sin, as some are more than willing to do, is guilty of condemning the guiltless which, in turn, is the charge Jesus made against the religionists of His day (Matthew 12:7).

Is it ever right to lie? Absolutely not! The Christian must recognize lying for the evil it is and never try to justify it under any circumstances, no matter how difficult they may be. Nothing will destroy our influence quicker. No confidence can be placed in a liar. The Christian is instructed: "Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth" (Ephesians 6:14). But, at the same time, let us make sure we understand the difference between Webster's definition of a lie and God's definition.

嘿嘿。不知已有多久没有那么放肆的写中文了。

唉，渴望写中文的无奈，谁人晓。

家里的那台电脑又没有可以写中文的软件

好在妈刚借了学校的laptop，才可以让我重温对中文的热爱^^

其实这一次写中文还是有原因的。

我要澄清一点..

我是个纯正、正宗、不折不扣的华人啊！！

哈哈。

为何要有这番言论叻？

因为在KMPK（kolej matrikulasi perak）时常让人有个错觉，认为我是马来人..

因为我实在太太太像马来人啦！

- - -

肤色：马色（经过NS的一番暴晒后的成果）

口音：说马来话时相当接近马来人说话的音调（呵呵，多谢SMGR的栽培）

道具：还带把吉他去那边呢！（要知道马来人很时常带吉他造噪音，只有少数华人要带）

- - -

拥有那么多的相似点再加上我有那整蛊人的恶习,

在kmpk真的添了不少趣事XD：

。。。

状况一

初来报道，第一天刚进lecture hall，

自己独自的坐在最后一排的角落，本想安安静静毫无风雨地在这学院过完这一年..

怎料到好死不死被老师盯上，

“最后一排的那位同学，麻烦你来为我们解答这一题。”

|||汗下。怎么会是我TT

傻傻的站起来，胡乱地作答。

“噢，这位同学，请报上大名大姓来。”

“Err.. Y.S.Raee..”

“哗！”“他是华人啊？”“真的是华人？”“不像啊..”

全hall交头接耳，疑惑地望着我。

唉，天大地大，为何无奈与无语的感觉总是落在我身上。

。。。

状况二

偶然一次吃午餐时，跟隔桌三个陌生的马来妹乱哈拉一番。

一华人朋友刚好经过，很自然的就跟他闲聊。

那几个马来妹吃惊，“吓？你是华人还是马来人？”

（当然是用马来话交谈啦，但是为了大家方便，还是将它翻译成中文吧）

嘻嘻，正中下怀！

然后就开始摆出那惯常幽幽苦情的面容，

“唉，其实我的身世很悲惨…”

目光呆痴地望向那遥远的天空，杨宗纬似的一半哭腔说：

“想当年我的父母不要我（咽了口水），结果就被一对热情的华人夫妇领养…”

“…”那三个马来妹不知所措的望着我，无语中，不知应如何安慰。

（相信我，我的演技不是盖的XD）

那该死的朋友，居然在一旁给我偷笑爆料！

“没有啦！才没有那么戏剧性啦。他是华人啦！”

语毕，那三位不约而同抓了刀叉恶顿我…

呜呜，痛惨了XD

。。。

状况三

迎面而来的是个非常ustaz似的同学。

“assalamualaikum..”碰面时他突然弹出这一句。

“吓？”难道我真的那么严重像马来人咩= =

（马来人有个习惯，遇到回教徒时总会用assalamualaikum来问候他人，以示礼貌）

“err..”

我记得一马来朋友跟我说过：若不是回教徒，就别回walaikumsalam..

那我能怎样？他又再那等我回敬他以示礼貌。

所以我就..

“Yo yo! Whatssup Bro! Doing fine yea?”

“@#%!!”

就这样，两人的礼貌仪式达成了^^

走后，他还不时回头，疑惑地望着我的背影…

。。。

状况四

一女生叫jared帮她借把吉他，很自然的jared向我借吉他。

“喂，介绍一下这马来朋友让你认识认识。”jared很聪明的介绍了我。

（以下对白是都是马来话）

“嘿！贵姓大名？”

“我是睿！”

“噢，你就是那传说中的睿？幸会幸会”

|||我什么时候变成了传奇人物啊？

就这样蒙了她一星期后，又不知怎的让她知道我不是马来人。

结果呢？她就管叫我alien。哈哈

在ns时被人一直称alien，难道在这里也要被人称做alien咩..

。。。

状况五

最严重的还是那阿笑（人称botak），两个月了都一直相信我是马来人。

第一次遇到他时就故意大耍马来话，很顺利的就让他认定我是个马来人。

不知哪一天不小心被他听到我讲华语，他超级吃惊，

“哇靠！你会说华语啊？”

糟，穿帮了吗？“Err.. SPM有拿中文啦，再加上家里有练习讲华语的习惯。”

“哇！你中文SPM拿多少？”

“Err.. 及格咯。哈哈”

“哇！那你会写中文咯？”

“会少少。”

“哇，你很厉害啊！”

就这样，糊里糊涂地就被他认为我是个‘会讲华语的马来人’

两个月后觉得是时候告诉他真相了，拿了我的身份证让他细看

“！！”他嘴形变‘0’形了！

“你竟然是个华人？天啊！那为何你那么马来音叻？”

“哈哈，以前读马来校嘛..”

“你不是家里讲马来话的咩？好像baba nyonya那样”

“没有啦，我在家都是讲华语的啦。”

“但你讲华语的时候不是很准啊..”

！！天啊！我一向来自以为豪的华语被一句“不是很准..”打垮我的自信心了！

看来真的要恶补我的中文水平了，呜呜

看到吗？这些小故事告诉我们：

做人千万不可以说谎啊，你看，每个故事的ending都是悲惨的。

但整蛊他人的话还是ok的啦，哈哈！（一派胡言XD）

Dandelion's Promise - J.Chou

by Greg Laurie

A couple of years ago, my son Jonathan was taking scuba diving lessons. He had been trained for a few hours on the previous day, and now it was time for the scuba instructor to take him out for an actual dive. I had been certified as a scuba diver for about 10 years, so I decided to go along with them. As we went to get into the boat and go out for the dive, we noticed it was a really rough day. Jonathan was a little nervous about the whole thing. It had been calm the day before, and he had done most of his practicing in the swimming pool. Now we were going into the real ocean, where the waters were rough. The problem was that the waters were so rough that it was a little frightening. I could see the panic in Jonathan's eyes. I didn't know what to do, because I was feeling it a little bit myself. But his instructor handled it perfectly. He said to Jonathan, "Look at me right now." Jonathan looked at him. He said, "Remember what I taught you? This is what you do." The instructor calmed him down. Jonathan put in his regulator, we went under the water, and immediately it was calm and beautiful and everything was fine.

We need to do the same thing when we face storms in our lives that cause us to worry, even panic. We need to look to our Instructor: Jesus. He is saying, "Look at Me. Don't worry about the waves. Don't worry about the circumstances. Don't panic. Look at Me." I believe there are three kinds of storms we will face in our lives as Christians: correcting storms, perfecting storms, and protecting storms.

A correcting storm is the kind that Jonah faced when He was disobeying God. He caught a boat going in the opposite direction of where the Lord wanted him to go. A great storm came as a direct result of Jonah's disobedience. That was a correcting storm.

Then there are perfecting storms. This is the kind of storm we read about in Matthew 8, where Jesus was teaching His disciples a lesson. In the Book of Genesis, we look at all of the trials and tribulations that young Joseph went through. These were perfecting storms. Joseph had done nothing to bring those things on himself. The very opposite was the case, but the Lord allowed calamity to come into His life to mold and make him into the man that he needed to be.

There are also protecting storms. This is the kind of storm Matthew 14 speaks of. The disciples were making their way across the Sea of Galilee and the wind was blowing hard. The waves were getting big. It was tough going. These seasoned fishermen pressed on, but they were afraid. This seemed to be an unusually radical storm.

To make matters worse, they thought they were seeing a ghost of some kind (see verse 26). They see Jesus walking on the water but they don't know it is Jesus. They cried out with fear. The disciples didn't recognize that this was Jesus, because they weren't looking for Him. This reminds me that there are many times when the Lord is there and we don't see Him, because we are not looking for Him. The Lord is speaking, but we don't hear Him because we are not listening to Him.

Maybe sometimes you feel as though God has forgotten about you and doesn't see you. But Proverbs 15:3 says, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good" (NKJV).

Jesus came to the disciples' rescue in the storm, walking across the water (see verse 25). Did He walk on water to show off? I don't think so. There was a reason. I think He walked on the water because that was what they were afraid of: the waves, the wind, and the storm. He came walking on the very thing that they feared, as if to say, "The very thing you are afraid of, I have mastery over, so don't be afraid."

Maybe you are facing a storm in your life right now. You have done everything you know to do. You have exhausted all of your resources. You need to cry out, "Lord, save me," and He will come to your aid.