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

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

​Don't look back to the past, it is a burden you need not carry, the past can be a lesson but don't let it be your hindrances to moving forward; to trying new experience or give today a new chance instead of it being burdened by yesterday's worries.

Paul says, "I focus on one thing; forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead (Phil 3:13). When we have sinned in the past, we need to renounce it, forget and let the Lord begin His healing within us. The Devil however, likes to remind us of our sins, shame and regrets so we will live in continuous guilt or fear. The scriptures says that the Lord looks to establish a new covenant with us and He will remember our sins no more (Hebrew 8: 12) - For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and the lawless deeds I will remember no more.

Paul would have had a list of shame he carried, he prosecuted many Christians before his life in Christ  but the Lord graced Him to look ahead and endured suffering for his new faith boldly. Paul chose to forget the past and look ahead & rely on the Lord's promise that his sins are remembered no more.

Do not look back to your past and let it stop your growth in Christ. Jesus has bore all of your sins, shame, fear, regrets and guilts on the cross. He has risen victoriously over all; don't take back the defeat that the Lord has conquered and won for you. The Lord has made us victors through Him. Let us receive His forgiveness, forgive ourselves and look forward to what lies ahead.

Isaiah 43:18-19 
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

- John W.

Vision is a God given gift to enable us to have faith on the invisible. When God promised Abraham that his descendant would be as numerous as the stars, He brought him outside and told him to look up into the sky and count the stars. God knew Abraham needed to have the vision of the promise and picture it in his mind; that he would be constantly reminded as he look to the sky every night through the years of unfulfilled promise that he waits for.
​
When you could see the Lord’s promise through your eyes of faith, you could have a stronger resolute when doubt visits. Your vision will light up your body with hope and surely you will experience joy as you wait for the fulfillment of the promise.  Ask the Lord to strengthen your vision of His promises for your life and picture it through your eyes of faith.

Matthew 6: 22 – 23 writes, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light but if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness.” What you can see will change your life and if all you could see is darkness, the Lord could give you a new vision. Trust the Lord to provide you a vision and trust his process. 

- John W.

Recently I had a discussion with a lady. We talked about how we could recognize Jesus if he comes back during our lifetime. Will we confuse Him with others who claim they are the Savior? Can we tell who is Jesus?
 
I am not sure I can boldly say I could recognise Jesus with all the noise of the modern world but I rest my assurance that He will help me to recognise Him; that He will speak to me and He will not let me lost in the crowd because Jesus loves me. He knows me by name.
 
There are times I get overwhelmed with the noise from the world and I tell myself I might be chasing after the wind when I’m trying to be kind or wanting to shine His hope in this broken world. Ephesian 6 however, reminds me to pray in perseverance. Our hope is, when we are unable to approach the throne of grace and pray in perseverance, the Lord will help us. Just like how I believe the Lord will cause me to recognise Him if He were to return in my lifetime, I believe He too will enable me to pray in perseverance. I’m unable to do it with my own strength but I cast this need unto the Lord and He will strengthen me.

The Lord, He is our helper. Let Him help you.

Psalm 28: 7 - 8
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

Ephesians 6: 18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

 - Jenni Wang

Recently, a dear colleague of mine passed away.

A woman in her late 60’s passed quietly on her bed without struggle and pain as we were told. The funeral director began her commemoration by asking guests what is the first word that comes to mind when we think of Pam, my mind quietly whispered, “kindness” and like an echo, the funeral director voiced it audibly, “kindness.”

Pam’s kindness will leave a lasting mark of a gentle soul that touches each one of us who came to know her and it will certainly be a legacy we aim to replicate when life feels unkind. Kindness is often misconstrued as a weakness, softness, a vulnerability that may be misused by people around us when in truth, anyone who shows kindness are the ones with profound strength; a strength to forgive, a strength to accept and a strength to heal from hurt with courage.

Christ’s very essence is goodness. He emanates mercies and kindness and He offers us fresh new grace every morning to begin again. “Let us be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4: 32 ESV)”. Even if you struggle to offer a solace of kindness, the Lord will not condemn. The Bible speaks of kindness as one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), ask for the Lord’s strength and dear friends, I believe He will enable you to bear the fruit of kindness. Let us trust His process, amen.
 
Galatians 5: 22 – 23 NLT
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Ephesians 4: 32 ESV
Let us be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.
 
Irene Soon

Unlike the generations before, our existence is continually exposed to myriad of information, apps and programs with images, games, music, videos and movies. Entertainment is only a click away and we have reached a state of overdrive not knowingly in our heart and mind.
 
If we take time to slow down, seek our heart and be truthful, there is no everlasting peace in our heart and mind yet we often convince ourselves that what we do, watch or listen to are making us happy, productive and reflective.

​When our source of peace is coming from the world, it will never be everlasting.
 
When we feel happy, we often think we feel peace. That feeling of temporal happiness or false peace is what the world offers but do you crave the peace that Jesus comes to give us? The peace of God that surpasses all understanding - Philippians 4:7. This is the kind of peace that cannot be found anywhere else other than from the source Himself. The peace I give is a gift that the world cannot give – John 14:27.
 
Jesus is peace personified. In this season leading to the birth of our Saviour, lay all your burdens, distractions, needs and chores aside and let Jesus know that you seek the peace He has come to the world to give you.
 
 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
  And the government will rest on His shoulders;
  And His name will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
  Eternal Father, Prince of Peace ” Isaiah 9: 6

- Annie Pisca

Why pray you asked? Prayer is a weapon, why don't you want to invite a victorious Saviour into your situations? Think of the acrostic P-R-A-Y:
​
P – Praise the Lord! Not sure how? Think you’ll run out of words? Not if you use the Scriptures.

R – Repent of your sins. Just as heat forces impurities to the surface so that the metal refiner can remove them, your prayer time will reveal attitudes that must be changed, habits that must be broken, and barriers to blessing that must be removed. It’s not enough to tell God about your sins. He already knows them. You must ask Him to help you turn away from them. This is true repentance.
​
A – Ask for yourself and others. Your prayers invite God into the situations, and your faith actives His power to change it. There’s no distance in prayer, no culture or language barrier it can’t overcome. It’s like throwing on a power switch – things begin to move when we pray. Jesus said, “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven… whatever doors you open on earth shall be open in Heaven (Matt 16: 19 TLB)
​
Y – Yield yourself to God’s will. Declaring the Lordship of Jesus Christ in your life is like signing your name to your autobiography and inviting Him to write you life’s story.
 
1 Chronicles 29:11
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O LORD, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.

- Writing of Bob Gass (Word for Today)

There is a vast difference between happiness and blessedness. Paul had imprisonments, sacrifice and painful sufferings up to the very limit; but in the midst of it all, he was blessed. All the beatitudes came into his heart and life in the midst of those very conditions.

On one of his concerts, Paganini, the great violinist discovered that his precious famous violin has been stolen. On that discovery, he felt paralyzed for a moment and he stepped back behind the stage's curtain looking at the old cheap violin that has been left as the replacement of his stolen violin.

He remained at the back of the stage's curtain for a moment, then came out before his audience and said: “Ladies and Gentlemen: I will show you that the music is not in the instrument, but in the soul.” And he played as he would have with his precious violin. Out of the old cheap instrument, the music poured forth until the audience was enchanted with enthusiasm and the applause almost lifted the ceiling of the building;  Paganini had revealed to them that music was not in the instrument, be it an old or a a precious expensive one but in his own soul.

It is your mission, tested and tried one, to walk out on the stage of this world and reveal to all earth and Heaven that blessedness is not in the conditions, not in things, not in externals but it is through the peace and faith within your soul that trusted the Lord, your Saviour.

If peace be in the heart, the wildest winter storm will be full of solemn beauty. If peace be in the heart.

John 16: 33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

- Charles F Richardson