In Australia, we have a bird called the willie wagtail. Although it is a  different type of bird, I often liken it to the sparrow.

​Perhaps it is just the way they puff their chest or how tiny I see they are. They are however much bigger than the sparrows but the sight of one brings me joy and reminded me of the verse in Matthew 10.

In the Bible, Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s care…So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29 – 31).

Jesus is heeding us to hold on to the faith that the Lord is bigger than any of our problems and challenges. When circumstances threaten us to lose hope, we can find this truth that the Lord who loves the little sparrows are also our Saviour who numbers the very hairs on our head.

He is the Saviour who watches over us; the loving Saviour who remembers every detail of our lives and everyday, every moment, we are always under the Lord’s watchful eyes and loving care. His eyes who are on the sparrows are also on you and me.
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Matthew 10:29 - 31
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

- Irene Soon 

We are taught the great lesson from the Bible, that to get, we must give; that to accumulate, we must scatter; that to make ourselves  happy, we must make others happy; and that in order to become spiritually healthy, we must seek the spiritual good of others. In watering others, we are ourselves watered.

How? Our efforts to be useful brings out our power for usefulness. We have latent talents and dormant and dormant skills which were brought to light by usage. Our strength for labour is hidden even from ourselves, until we venture forth to fight the Lord’s battles or to climb the mountain of difficulty.

We do not know what tender sympathies we possess until we try to dry the widow's tears and soothe the orphan's grief. We often find in attempting to teach others, that we gain instruction for ourselves. So that watering others makes us humble. We discover how much grace there is where we had not looked for it.

Our own comfort is also increased by our working for others. We endeavour to cheer them, and the consolation gladdens our own heart. He that watered shall be watered also himself. Give then, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and running over.
 
Proverbs 11:25 ESV
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.

Excerpt from Charles Spurgeon @Heartlight inc 1996 - 2024

Dear blessed friends and families, 

We pray for everyone to enter into this new year with a thanksgiving heart and we would like to start 2026 with a prayer.

Heavenly Father,

​We thank you for Your abundant grace, faithfulness and love for us through the past year. As we step into this new year, we place our trust in You Lord; to guide our steps with clarity and purpose. Please renew our strength and hope, give us courage and help us walk in love, stand firm in faith and be light around the people around us.

In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

- Hopeful Heart Team

I praise the Lord for His loving kindness and mercy in my life. Though I have failed Him many times, He continues to draw me back to Himself.

The Advent season reminds me of waiting with hope and expectation. Though in my personal life, there are many uncertainties, there is a sure certainty in Advent season. The promised Saviour was born in a humble manger to redeem us and gives us hope to not be alone in our struggles and trials, that the Lord is Emmanuel – God is with us.

Recently, because of the cyclone-triggered flood and landslide, more than 900 people died in Sumatra, Indonesia. Many people are still left with no food, no resources. Many houses are destroyed, families separated with their houses and stores destroyed. In times like these, they are without hope, please help pray for them to find hope or that it will lead them to Christ this season.

When God is not involved in our lives, we are walking in the path of destruction without hope. We need Him to intervene, strengthen and guide us so that when it's all dark and hopeless around us, He will be our Light who will make a way out and turn all for good. Emmanuel, the Lord is with us, let Jesus be your hope and anchor this season.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.

May we continue to walk with Him as we finish this year and march to the new one with bold and renewed hope and faith!

Matthew 1: 23
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”)

- Jenni Wang

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.

Recently, I saw a car sticker – “not perfect but forgiven.” How wonderful it is to remember that we serve a God who does not look for perfection but able to see the condition of our heart and repentance.

Forgiveness has a tremendous healing power. Do you remember the moment an understanding is cleared or that both parties have forgiven each other sincerely? There is always a sense of relief that releases peace and joy that you are unable to explain but how it strengthens you from within? That is the life that God has come to give to us, a life forgiven, filled with relief, peace and joy to the fullest.

Yes, we are not perfect and so is life but always remember that we are fully forgiven and made righteous by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Christ who is perfect in all His ways has forgiven us so we could follow His ways and extends forgiveness to others.

Dear blessed ones, the Lord highly esteemed you and He forgives all your sins. He is a God who accepts us the way we are and He will work with us when we are willing to grow and be pruned, to embrace honesty, humility and forgiving others as we walk daily with Him.

The Lord forgives us not because we are perfect but because He loves us. Try again and falter not, the Lord is our strength, hope and miracles.
 
Psalm 86:5
You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.

Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Romans 8:38-39:
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
- Irene Soon 

There are times I really ‘envy’ the faith of great people who trust God and overcome trials in their lives but then I am reminded that I have the same great God who is with me and is within me. The same One Saviour who is working through the great men and women I read in books and in the Bible; He is at work in and through me and all of us who call on His name.

I have many days where I’m persuaded that I could not do anything for the kingdom of God in my line of work, I feel that my prayers for mission work do not bring forth any fruits sought and to top it off, we constantly get fed bad news from the media. All these are enough to think why we bother to be the salt of the world.

If you are tired and doubtful, may I encourage and remind you to remember that God is ever patient and present if you feel your prayers are repetitive or if you are plagued with constant doubts needing God’s assurance daily. Please continue to seek His Heart and focus on the Lord. The Lord will strengthen us ,let us march daily with bold confidence that God is on our side and are turning things around supernaturally in our favours. Amen!
 
Psalm 108:13 ESV
With God we shall do valiantly, it is he who will tread down our foes.
 
- Jenni Wang

​The year was 2000, the era of Y2K, the year where some embraced the excitement of entering to the new millennium, others felt trepidation, uncertain of what lay ahead; I belonged to the latter group.

Just a day after the dawn of the year 2000, I lost my mum. She was bedridden during the last two weeks I spent by her side. Having recently returned from my studies overseas, those final weeks were the only significant time I had with her before she passed.

25 years later, I still grapple with that overwhelming loss, often talking about it with the Lord. In difficult times, I have accused Him of not understanding my experience, feeling that no one, including Him, could truly comprehend my pain. It was as if I believed my tragedy was uniquely profound.

Then, with the gentlest prompting, Questions arose: What about Jesus? Could anyone truly understand Him? A person born with the destiny of crucifixion.

Matthew 27:46
My God, my God why have you forsaken me?

His cry of anguish echoed in my mind.

Tears welled up as it dawned on me how much He had suffered. What a heartbreakingly beautiful suffering. He endured, knowing that through it all, you and I could be together with the Father (John 14:6) and become joint heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17).

In that moment of reflection, my grief slowly transformed into a realisation of how minuscule my suffering is compared to His. Yet, in His ultimate suffering, He cried out in apparent heartbreak. This was a profound awakening to the truth that He truly understands what I am going through, having endured it all and more.

My pain, though deeply personal, is not isolated and misunderstood. In His anguish, I discovered a shared human experience, a powerful testament to His great empathy, love and the depth of His sacrifice. The Lord understands.

- Annie Pisca

“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.

Antonio Stradivari, the Italian violin maker was a poor man. He was unable to afford most materials s and got the woods to craft his violins from the harbors where he lived.

The wood materials were dirty waterlogged pieces, discarded and unwanted lumbers. Stradivari would take those wet fibrous woods, cleaned it and dried in his shop. Despite this humble beginning, Stradivari violins are the most prized violins; recognised for its rich and resonant sound that can’t be duplicated. Stradivari sees the unwanted lumbers on its potentials and not on how it was unwanted, dirty and discarded materials.

This made me reflect on how God could also transform any of us from a humble beginning to the potential and purpose He has planned for our lives. We may view ourselves as those dirty, unwanted and discarded lumber with no hope of redemption, perhaps from past shame, adversities or mistakes, but God can transform each one of us into what we are meant to be; He could save us no matter how hopeless we feel.

He is Sovereign and we are His beloved children, give the Lord a little faith, try Him. Receive His redemptive grace, “…He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.” – Hebrew 7: 25
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- Irene Soon