Slow Fade-Casting Crowns

Was watching this MV on youtube by Casting Crowns. This song title named " Slow Fade "... I love the last part when a little girl sang " O be care little eyes what you see ~ O be careful little eyes what you see ~For your father up above ~ Is watching down with love ~ O be careful little eyes what you see ~ ! Very nice song...another verse wrote this..."people never crumble in a day" ...which is quite true... :) Enjoy the MV.

Heres the lyrics :

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

Oh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For your Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see

Authority

Just sharing something i read about authority..its supposed to be a pretty long article..but i guess i'll just paste in the jeist of it.. :)

Don't confuse your insights with moral imperatives. Even if you're sure you've been given a superior view of the world, that doesn't mean it's a moral imperative that everyone execute your plan. There's something more important than doing ministry the most relevant, cool and effective way. God is interested in seeing us learn to live and lead under the authority that He has placed over us. You have not sinned by doing ministry ineffectively. You have not sinned by simply taking the marching orders from somebody who's not as smart as you and doing things that aren't as effective as you would like to have done them.

There's a temptation to justify flat-out rebellion for the sake of the mission and the cause. God is using you not only to do your current ministry, but also to prepare you for whatever else He has for you. Even if you never see your ideas implemented, you've had a good day as a leader when you've done everything you can to challenge while staying under the authority that God has placed over you.

If you don't learn to lead under, you won't have as many opportunities to lead over. Your ability to lead others is directly related to your ability to follow others. Since God is the giver and the head of all authority, all people in an organization's chain of command—leaders and followers—must ultimately answer to God. So when you sign up to participate in authority, you automatically ascribe to the concept of following. As a result, your ability to lead will never far exceed your ability to follow.

One of my favorite stories in the life of Jesus is His encounter with a centurion whose servant was sick. The centurion didn't approach Jesus saying, "Jesus, clearly You're in charge, clearly You are in authority—therefore, would You come heal my servant who's sick?" Instead, he notices that Jesus is "a man under authority." And based on that observation, he considers Jesus qualified to invoke healing power on his sick servant. Every authority is under authority. As leaders, we must challenge the process, but we must also work with the authorities that God has placed over us. And we dare not upset His plan for us by rebelling against the ones God has placed over us—whether intentionally or unintentionally.

When you can't follow, then it's time to get off the team. The question young leaders ask me more than any other question is, "How do I know when it's time to go?" There's no simple answer to that question. But one of the catalysts for moving on is when staying in your current environment ceases to be a growing experience and starts to become a dying experience. When that time comes, it's time to go.

If you start to have those feelings, ask yourself if God might be prompting you to move on. There comes a time to get off the team. And if you aren't listening carefully, you could expose yourself and others to temptations you'd rather avoid. Don't give opportunity for frustration or anger to lead you. Allow God to lead you in His time to do whatever else He has for you.

Above All Else

dear all,
First week of fulltime work have been quite an extreme experience for me. Last week im getting off at around midnite, everyday* So, sometimes when the loads of work burned me out, it's easy to lose touch with the Lord. But when I listened to this song today, it gave me encouragement to go back in His presence, even in the midst of the hustle bustle of our activities. May it be Jesus that we exalt above all else, even in our workplace, in everything that we do :)
have a blessed day!

-git :)


Above All Else
by: Alison Yap+ City Harvest Church
http://www.imeem.com/people/vZL5KP/music/oRWzXbG9/alison-yap-chc-band-above-all-else/

(verse 1)
No eye has see
No ear has heard
Unfailing love
Far beyond words
(pre chorus)
The cross I see
Your blood redeems
My imperfection
Your hands divine
Come shape this heart of mine

(chorus)
Here I stand, thirsting for You
Here I am, surrender to You
Let my life be Your clay
Mould me in Your way
Here I stand, desperate for You
Here I am, a vessel for You
Let me life sing Your praise
Bring honour to Your name

(verse 2)
Beauty unfolds
Joy overflows
Your grace begins
This treasure within
(bridge)
Above all else
Above all else
We exalt You
We exalt (You)

Above all that you ask :)

ABOVE ALL THAT WE ASK FOR OR THINK - Daily devotional by Reverend David Wilkerson

God always desires to pour out more of his glory on his people. He longs to do for us “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). This is why he wants a people who have a ravenous appetite for more of him. He wants to fill them with his awesome presence, beyond anything they’ve experienced in their lifetime.

Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Yet, to obtain this abundant life, we must abound more and more in pleasing the Lord. Paul writes, “We…exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:1). “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

The Greek word for abound means “to exceed, excel, super-abound—to have enough and to spare, over and above, excessive, exceeding abundantly above, beyond measure.” Paul is saying, “God’s glory in your life is going to exceed the little moments you’ve gotten up till now. But your prayers have to be more than just asking a blessing over your meals.”

“So walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6–7). Paul is instructing us, “To have this abundant life of God’s glory and presence, you must serve him above measure—with a love and commitment exceeding that of lazy, slumbering servants.”

“Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence” (Ephesians 1:8). God wants to mete out to you glory and revelation beyond any previous measure. “Having made known unto us the measure of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself (1:9). The Lord is saying, “I’m going to open to you a deeper understanding of my Word. I want to give you revelations of its mysteries.”

Surviving Dry Places - J.C Matthew

Surviving Dry Places

But He answered and said, "It is written, Man Shall not live

by bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the

mouth of God ". Matthew 4:4

What does Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4 have in common

outside of them being almost identical in wording? Of course,

they are both found in the Bible. The answer is: They were

both spoken in a wilderness or a dry place. Moses and Jesus

both were concluding extended stays in a wilderness and came

to the same conclusion. Their conclusion was: "Man does not

live by bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of

the mouth of God."

You may have never spent any period of time in an actual

wilderness. However, at some point in your life you will

find yourselves in some very dry places. Your dry place might

be emotional, financial, physical, spiritual, relational or

some other form of deficiency or you have in your life. Each

person's wilderness is just as real as the other's. These dry

places and times in our lives are not designed to kill or stop

us, but to grow us in our relationship and understanding of God.

They are places of decision and learning where the flesh is

tried and our spiritual man (or woman) is matured

The wilderness is not always a bad place. The purpose for the

wilderness in our lives is three fold. These purposes are to:

(1) try us - physically, mentally and spiritually, (2) reveal

ourselves to ourselves, (3) bring us to a place of total

surrender to God. We must come to a place where we no longer

seek fulfillment, meaning and sufficiency in others or our own

efforts - but in God. Until we learn to trust God's Word in

every situation we cannot enjoy the promises He has spoken

over our lives.

I don't know what your particular wilderness is, but I can tell

you that the test and the lesson is the same. God does not

deny that you have needs. However, He does say that your primary

means of meeting these needs should be found within His Word.

If you are currently in a "dry place" in your life ask yourself,

"What is it that God is trying to teach me here?" "Have I been

depending on His Word or something or someone else?" The answer

to these questions may determine how long you'll be there. The

children of Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness before they

entered into their promise because they continually failed the

test. Jesus passed His test the first time and left His

wilderness experience in 40 days. The way to shorten your time

in these dry places of life is to learn the lessons taught

while there.

God's Opportunities - by Dr J.C Matthews

God's Opportunities

"Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him."And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians. So Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign".2 Chronicles 16:7-9, 12-13 (NKJV)

Have you been robbing God of the opportunity to be glorified in your life? Much of the frustration we face in life is really our denying God the opportunity to demonstrate Himself able to handle the problems that are too great for us. When we place our confidence in men and turn to others for help, instead of God, we deny Him the opportunity to be glorified. Our problems are really open invitations for God's participation in our lives. Everyday, people suffer unnecessarily because they deny God the opportunity to get involved in their lives and thereby be glorified.

King Asa made a similar mistake when he placed his confidence in man, instead of God. God gave King Asa not only victory, but also unusual peace, despite the fact he was surrounded by hostile nations. The Bible records because King Asa became sick he and once again placed his confidence and his life in the hands of men instead of calling upon God for his healing. As a result, he not only lost God's blessing over his life, but his life itself.

How often, do we decide to turn from God, who has already proven Himself faithful, able and willing to see us through our struggles? It was God who has kept us from being totally destroyed by our enemies - seen and unseen. He has hid us and not allowed our adversaries to know when we are weak, nor has he exposed our hidden faults.

What is it in your life that God is waiting for you to turn over to Him and give Him the opportunity to show Himself strong? Your impossibilities are really God's opportunities. When you deprive Him the opportunity to demonstrate His sovereignty you also deprive Him of glory that is due Him. When you need help, don't look around - but look up! David, facing a seemingly impossible situation, asked himself a question and came to the right conclusion. David said, "I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth" (Psalms 121:1-2, NASB). Remember, the impossibility you are facing might actually be an opportunity for God to show Himself strong!

Music we listen to..

OK...its sharing time again ! haha...just sharing with you all what i've read on other ppl's blog..
think about the pointers he stated...worth pondering...erm..at least to me?? :D

I started out by saying God gave us music as a gift to direct our attention to him. In the Bible, music is connected with worship, weddings, funerals, work, play, and war. The basic elements of rhythm, melody, and harmony aren’t inherently evil or sinful. Non-Christians can write beautiful songs that are good for us. Christians can write terrible songs that are bad for us.

So how can something so good become something bad? Two reasons. First, there’s a sinful world outside us. Music, like any gift, can be abused, misused, and used wrongly. Those who make music - artists, record companies, marketers - aren’t primarily interested in caring for our souls or helping us avoid worldliness. They want us to buy their music.

Second, there are sinful desires inside us. Just as people can write music to communicate sin, we can listen to music to feed sin. And music amplifies the deceptive voices of the world. Listening to music is never neutral, because our sinful hearts are involved (James 1:14-15).

Listening to music without discernment and godly intent reveals a heart willing to flirt with the world. We get into trouble when we don’t THINK about the music we listen to.
I ended by offering six handles to help us think more concretely and biblically about the music we listen to.

1. Submission (Prov. 19:20)If you’re living at home, that means submission to your parents. If you’re an adult, that means submission to those who are spiritually mature and know you best. Listening to music is not a right. It’s a privilege to be earned.

2. Content (Phil. 4:8)If we listen regularly to ungodly lyrics, it’s only a matter of time until we become dull to sin or drawn by sin. Some Christians say they don’t know what songs are saying. If we don’t listen to what’s being said, why don’t we find out? Christians, more than anyone, should know what the songs we listen to are saying (James 3:8-10).

3. Associations (Prov. 22:3)Because music can’t be held, touched, or seen, it always associates itself with the things that surround it: friends, concerts, clubs, radio stations, videos, websites, other artists. A “neutral” song can lead us to a variety of temptations.

4. Time (Prov. 13:20)The more time you spend listening to music, the more it becomes a friend that will affect you. Is your music a wise friend or a fool?

5. Fruit (Prov. 14:14)We should be aware of the kinds of emotions the music we listen to produces in us. How does it affect our relationships with others? What effect does it have on our attitudes, perspectives, and appearance? Is there any desire to deceive others about the music we listen to?

6. Conversion (2 Cor. 13:5)An ongoing struggle with music and its effects could reveal that an individual has never been regenerated. Only a true worshiper of Jesus can appreciate music the way God intended it to be appreciated – not as an idol, but as a gift.