Growing up, my parents taught us the children on the values of persistence, determination and commitment in all our pursuits and endeavours. Whilst they are good qualities, in my case, it imposes self-generated urgencies.

John 10: 10 tells us that our Lord has come to give us life in abundance opposing to the thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy, but what if our self-generated urgencies are stopping us from living the abundant life God has gifted us?

Self-generated urgencies are weights or metaphorically, ‘the stones’ we unknowingly carry. They manifest mentally as a burden that we carry everywhere we go; it constants reminds that you have not done your best, the house is still dirty, your wardrobe is full of junk, you have not lost the weight or that you were passed for that job promotions and the list goes on.  The nagging will only stop if you heed the voices and urgently finish tasks that you think will bring you happiness. Yes, it will give you temporary satisfaction or happiness but it is a never-ending daily cycle that constantly tries to steal your peace and joy.

Dear friends, it is the Lord who gives us the wisdom to know when to lay aside or let go of the self-generated urgencies. The Bible heeds us to cast every burden to the Lord. Could I encourage you to lay every ‘stones’, aspirations, worries, anxieties with prayers to seek strength and wisdom. It is your heritage to receive the abundant life God has gifted you. Learn to let go and deliberately cast the stones that torments you. Let the Lord grant you wisdom that brings clarity; He will take care of you, cast each burden and He will strengthen you to let go of any false self-generated urgencies.
 
Psalm 55: 22 NKJV
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved

Isaiah 54:17 NKJV
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” says the LORD.

- John W.

 
Do your thoughts, speech and actions reflect your dependence and faith on God? Introspectively, my answer is no. Challenges and trials easily bring worries and doubt to my prayers and thoughts which leads to speaking negatively to my situations. To my dismay, the more I try to push the bad thoughts away, the more the doubts amplify and there goes my negative speech again despite my awareness.

The Bible writes in Luke 6: 45 – “…The mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” When your heart is fully trusting and dependent on God’s Sovereign power, your speech will reflect the audacious faith outwardly which will also impact your thoughts and actions.

​Like a person expecting for a harvest, you would look forward to it with joy and elation. Oppositely, if you are expecting a drought, you would be dejected and sink into the mud of negativity. When you cultivate a trusting heart in the Lord, doubt and fear will still come but your inner-man/faith will be undeterred as you know the source of your strength and miracle comes from the Lord. God is the One who would strengthen you and He is the One who promises that He will not test you more than you could bear.

If you are relying on your own strength, let this be a reminder that you could involve the Lord and trust He would enable you to go forward further and work through you. Cultivate a trusting heart and may your speech flow with grace and faith expectant of harvest and triumph.
 
Luke 6: 45 NIV
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

1 Corinthians 10: 13
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

- Irene Soon

Thank you, Father, for the privilege of being able to come freely to You in prayers.; to be able to have a direct communion with you and receive abundant grace and mercy at any given time. The apostle Paul encourages us to be strong in the Lord and in the Lord’s mighty power (Eph 6:10).

Paul knows how blessed it is to be able to draw strength, protection, discernment and wisdom from our Lord who gives never-ending supply; that we could say a prayer and feel the peaceful presence of the Lord enveloping our anxious thoughts.

Being strong in the Lord and in His mighty power grows from a deliberate immersion through prayers of every concern, worry, every thanksgiving, every tear and every joy to a God who dearly loves us. He loves to be part of our every minute and day; draw near to Him and receive His steadfast strength and conviction to fully believe in His good promises. The Lord promises and He delivers. Let us boldly come to His throne and claim His good promises.
 
1 Chronicles 17: 26 – 27
And now, Lord, You are God and have promised this goodness to Your servant. Now You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You have blessed it, O Lord, and it shall be blessed forever.

Hebrews 4: 16
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

- Irene Soon
​

As we remember Christ's suffering and sacrifice on the cross, may we find His unending grace and mercy fill our days with peace, courage and hope.

We have hope because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross; He has given us the authority to trample upon our sins and no longer live under the bondage of sins but under the freedom He has purchased for us by His blood.

Praise His Holy Name and may you always remember that Jesus loves you.

-Hopeful Heart Team

“I’m human, I make mistakes …,” would be the most likely excuse I will use if I were to do something I shouldn’t.

It is pretty much the excuse that is acceptable without you having to explain further why you have faltered and did what you shouldn’t have. Others may dismiss and laughed it off with you, after all who are they to judge, some may judge, reading you as a generalized example of how Christians are but what matters is, are you truly repentant of the mistakes you have made?

We may just be the only doorway and example that some people see in their life as what a Christian is like. Do we aspire to inspire them to seek Christ and live a repentant life instead of one that is happy to make excuses every time we fall to sin and caught doing it?

Everyone is susceptible to sins. The Bible reminded us that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak hence we need to put on the full armor of God; taking on spiritual protection and relying on God’s guidance and wisdoms through prayers, praise worship and studying the Word; these will help us withstand spiritual warfare against evil, relying on God's tools and grace for defense.

Yes, I’m human and I make mistakes but God is there to help me every step of the way so I could try again and aspire to inspire others to seek Him more.

Ephesians 6:11-12
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Matthew 26:41
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

- John W.

We pray for a bountiful and joyful start for you and your families. May you have the rest that you need and continue to place your faith and hope in the Lord for this year. 

The Lord promises in Philippians 4: 7 that we will experience His peace which will exceeds anything that we could comprehend or understand and this peace will keep our hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.

God loves you and blesses you. Amen.

- Hopeful Heart Team

When we look back in our walk with Christ, it is easier to see and understand why He has placed us in the places He did, why He has brought certain people and situations, why he permitted trials and challenges and also why He uprooted us to new places, jobs, friendships and/or relationships.

There is always a lesson in every season and though we may not always get the clarity we want at the time we want; I count it as a blessing and protection from the Lord as His ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55: 8).When we encounter challenges and trials, our solutions are always grounded in men’s wisdom which is foolishness to the Lord (1 Corinthians 3: 19 – 20).

As we reflect at this end of year, I could testify and see how God has assisted and directed good outcomes of my trials faithfully and pruning what is not required. If the thought of the upcoming new year still bears uncertainty for you, let Psalm 111 be your faithful reminder of the Lord’s heart for us.
The Lord also promises to never leave and forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8).

With the promise of God’s presence and help, we can move to 2025 with confidence and faith for the Lord goes before us. Let us rejoice for the Lord is faithful and good.
 
Isaiah 55: 8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, said the Lord”

1 Corinthians 3: 19 - 20
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”[ and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
​
Psalm 111: 3 - 5
Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate. He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.

- Irene Soon

Charles Spurgeon wrote beautifully referencing the promise that the Lord has made in Isaiah.

"See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." (Isaiah 49: 16)
​
In Spurgeon's active preaching years , it is said that He loved to preach on Isaiah 49: 16. It is a wonderful - wonderful promise and Spurgeon painted a visual reference for us whereby Jesus' wounds were engraved by nails, fastened to the Cross by thuds of hammers that His people will be truly engraved on the palm of His hands.

If and when we are plagued by doubts and thoughts that Jesus has forgotten us, we can look to our palms and remember Jesus' wounded engraved palm for us. Our names have been engraved on the palm of the Lord. He has put a permanent lasting mark on His palm for us, our walls are ever before Him; it is Jesus' way to say He loves you and me and He will always go before us; making a way and He will not in any way forsake us. Amen.

Deuteronomy 31: 6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

- Irene Soon