Why? Why? WHY??

A dedication to someone who inspired this post. One day,everything will seem clear. Then you will see that God's plan is to use your life for His glory ;)

"Why?" That is probably one of my most asked questions of all time. "Why is life so challenging at times? God if you are good, why can't be born normal like everybody else? Why must I go through the pain that I am experiencing now? WHY ME?" These are all questions that had went through my mind before. I have my own sets of why's in my life, and most of us do too. The feelings that we have to go through, the pain that we can't seem to bear, or even the fears about the things we are unsure of.  Sometimes, we can only ask "Why...?". 


There are still many things that I still don't understand in life. I can't stand in place of God to answer all the "why's", not even the "why's" in my own life. But through experience, I know for sure that God has plans- plans to prosper us no to harm us, plans to give us HOPE and a FUTURE. "But why must I go through emotional pains, or poverty, or even a fail in finals for God to give me hope and a future?" 


I can't know the specific reasons for God to let you go through what you are going through now, but one thing I am sure of -that is God is planning to use all the things in your life to help you see Him clearer, and for you to use it to helps others SEE too. 


Do you think the small things you face is too insignificant for God not to use it for His glory? Definitely not! How can someone who has not experienced hurt in relationships empathize with a person who just broke up with his girlfriend? Or can a person who gets straight A's all the time comfort a person who just failed his mid-term paper? 


Every hurt, hardship or question that you experience, however small or common it may seem, God has BIGGER plans for it. I am a testifier of that! I understand how people feel when they are lonely because I've felt it. I know how hard it is to overcome challenges, but I overcame! In the midst of finding the answer to my "why's", I found something more- a purpose. To help others see that in the midst of their "why's", there is HOPE in Jesus, the Christ!


"You intended to harm me, but God intended for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20)

Step by step

The past few months since the end of last year had been a crazy one for me. Crazy, in a good way. God has been showing me things I've never expected before this. I saw my own plans for my future totally go out the window, I saw people around me making preparations for their UK studies as I just sit back,waiting to see what's my next step. At the very same time, I saw God's different (and not to mention BIGGER) plans for my future, I saw God's vision for me that surpasses just UK to all around the world, and I'm very humbled to witness the salvation of 10 young boys through an opportunity that God provided for me to share my life in the Klang Boy's Brigade. 


Most of my coursemates are going to UK soon for their 3-months Degree programme in June. I was wrestling with God for about 2 semesters about whether or not I will be going to UK. My plans were to go to UK get it done quick & come back to Malaysia with a Degree in time for my 21st birthday. That was THE PLAN. Well, at least until God challenged me to another route. I decided to obey and see what He has in store for me. 


However by His grace & mercy, I've seen so many open doors & opportunities that are coming up in my life. Opportunities that I can't even imagine! Too many to tell it all here & do it justice, but I may share some of it with you all when some of them goes through a few confirmations. All in all, this year will be a very exciting year for me. Far greater than the plan that I had- going UK to get my Degree.


It's overwhelming to look back on His faithfulness & His blessings over my life. What I really want to do now is to take everything in baby steps & know that He is in control. It may be a bit intimidating when people keep asking what I am doing in life, or whether I've found a job, or why I am not going for my UK Degree when it's only 3 more months. However, I want to move only when God tells me. So that I can walk in His plan, not running off to head my own way. 

"Your word is the lamp unto my feet and the light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105). When you walk in darkness and all you have is a lamp for light, you don't run. Instead you take it step by step where the light shines. Similarly I want to walk in His light, not trying to be rushed or pressured by people around me. His peace will be with me, this He promises. 

The LIGHT of the CROSS!

The light from the Cross is not the limelight for any preacher. Jesus didn't die to give us a career, but to SAVE THE LOST!

- Reinhard Bonnke

Stepping from the comfort of college life into the uncertain road that God has called me into, one thing that I am certain of- He called me to share my life with others & to share His great love with the rest of the world. Even as I prepare myself to be a speaker for Him,no other preparation is greater than the seeking of His will & the testing of my heart. 

"Celebrity pastors/speakers/preachers" are quite the "hype" nowadays (just my opinion). Don't get me wrong,it's not a bad thing at all that the people of God are famous. I too pray that I'll be touching millions of lives like that one day. But I do see people getting overexcited over a particular pastor or maybe a very famous preacher, similar to the way many people were so crazy over Planetshakers coming, or when Jayesslee came to Malaysia. 


I'm not trying to question the intentions of the "fans" nor am I planning to say some bad about "celebrity pastors". The matter of fact is, as a pastor/speaker/preacher or anything that requires us to be at the forefront, there's always a fine line between shining the light of the cross that points to Jesus, and shining the limelight on ourselves that points to our capabilities. 


I know that because I believe God called me to speak and share my life with others for Him and as a speaker, there is always some part of me that enjoyed the limelight. Even as I'm writing this or any of my other blog posts, there is always some part of me that wants the number of readers to reach a certain amount or even praises and compliment for my writing. It's something that even experienced pastors/writers like Max Lucado go through. There is nothing wrong with enjoying what God has called us to do, but when we start to enjoy the GLORY that is supposed to be for Him then I guess we just need to check our hearts. 


So, even as I prepare to be a speaker for Him, would you pray with me so that my intentions will be pure, and that God will continue to search my heart & teach me to remember that the LIGHT I've seen is not my limelight,rather a humble light that came to SAVE the lost! It's such an honor to be able to serve God in this way, and I'm NOT gonna allow "the enemy" to try and persuade me that my mistakes makes me unworthy to be used by Him.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting. 

(Psalm 139:23-24)

A New Adventure BEGINS

Wow,it's been like forever since I last wrote! Many things had happened since then. Met new friends, made new decisions, moved on to new paths, yet the same GOD still brings me through.  2011 has been a great year of "wrestling" with God and "losing" to Him (obviously). Wrestling with God is NOT necessarily a bad thing as many may think. I've been humbled and amazed by His faithfulness even as he challenged me in various ways. 


When I first went into college, I've had plans of graduating with a degree as young as possible(I'm only 20 now), probably even a Master while I'm at it. I knew that I had a "head-start" compared to the friends around me & with 4 years of college,I'd graduate with a Degree in Psychology from UK by the time I'm turning 21. And if I want to,I can even possibly finish a Masters Degree within a year's time by the age of 22. THAT was THE PLAN. 


Then there came God, who just casually whispered in my ear and "ruined" what I've planned for four years! I was like, "Seriously,God? Why didn't you just tell me like four years earlier. Why now? Why challenge me to let go of my degree when I'm only ONE semester away from going to UK?? Besides,it will only take 3 months in UK for my degree. You sure that's you,God? Or is it just some crazy voice in my head?" 


I thought it was a CRAZY idea not going for the degree when I only need 3 months to complete it. But trust me,when God calls you for something, however crazy it may sound, you'll know that it's the RIGHT thing to do. It reminded me of the time God called Abraham (Abram at that time) out of his home to the "Promised Land". What kind of a crazy person would just leave home suddenly one day & start a journey to a "land" that may not exist,not to mention all the challenges & the dangers he may face while travelling to this new land? But that was what Abraham did. 


 Where exactly am I going? I don't know either,just as Abraham didn't know his next step until God told him where to go. One thing's for sure-God called me to speak of His love by sharing my life with others,and despite everything that may come in my way in this new "adventure" that I'm embarking on, I BELIEVE God's faithfulness will prevail. 

So, please partner with me in PRAYER even as God calls me to this new adventure with Him. 



"Abraham BELIEVED God, and it was accredited to him as RIGHTEOUSNESS." (Romans 4:3) That is exactly what I want to do this year & in the years to come. His love endures forever.

Little is much...

It's been 9 days now since I joined the lovely Hannah Tan as business partners in something that we believe would impact many many lives & help to save,feed,clothe & educate many underprivileged children around the world. First of all let me clarify this: I HATED BUSINESS!!! I'd never thought in a million years that I'd be involved in business. But I really believe what Hannah,Reymee & the rest of us are doing will really impact lives, help the people around us, save children all around the world & help make His gospel of love known(of course not all of them know abt this particular part...). That was the main reason why I decided to join Hannah and her team in this. So,I'm really driven to make a difference in the lives of the people around me & the lives of kids all around the world. 

Of course any cause worth fighting for will not be easy. It's getting harder for me especially now that my "coach" Hannah went overseas for work. These few days I've felt like giving up. I've felt down because the people I really really want to help think that I'm trying to gain something out of them. Others think that they have much more knowledge about business than me (which is true,but this one is not a conventional business with conventional "purposes" of gaining profit for themselves-which i really hate..) & have preconceptions & prejudgment of what it is all about. As a result I started to have doubts whether I can do it anymore. Can I really be the difference in the world & inspire others to do the same?

The next thing I know God is telling me, "Little is much when I'm in it. Just give the little that you have & I will use it to do EXTRAORDINARY things." God reminded me that He was the same God that used 80-year-old Moses to lead the people out of Egypt, the same God who was with David when he defeated Goliath & the same God that came down to save me from death by overcoming it. 

God uses the weak to do great things, the ordinary to do the EXTRAORDINARY so that I cannot boast of my own strength & people may see that there is a God that gives me the strength that I need. Little is much when God is in it. So, I will learn to trust in Him & be sensitive to His voice in my life. 

p/s: Though I have God on my side giving me strength, it really will help too if you come back earlier Hannah!! LOL!! 

My awesome coach & wonderful friend. Be safe in Korea. God bless =)

If I were to die today...

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

-Mahatma Ghandi

I wonder how would I react if I am told that I'm going to die today? Will I be glad because God is calling me home & I can finally see Him in person? Will I be scared of dying, or will I regret of the things that I have yet to do & experience? A friend of a friend of mine had a son who was diagnosed with lung cancer when he was 15. That was a year ago. A few weeks back, he died at the age of 16. He had a whole life ahead of him. Only 4 years younger than me, and he didn't get to experience that. Sometimes I think to myself, "I could be in his shoes. I could have been the one diagnosed with cancer. I could have died 4 years ago."

I guess there's a lot of things that I want to die before I die. I've always wanted to bring my family & friends to Christ, to marry the woman that I love, to have a family of my own, to go around impacting lives, to go for marathons, to dance with a girl, and the list goes on. All this reminded me that EVERYONE has an EXPIRY DATE. Some of my friends say, "No! God can't call me home yet. I'm young & still got plenty of things to do for Him." Paul urged us to "run with perseverance the race marked our for us." All of us has a race marked out for us. For some of us God marked out a short race,for some of us He marked out a full marathon. Either way, God does not wait for us to be ready to call us back. We have to get ready for His call.

I think I would have my fair share of regrets if I were to be called "home" today. I just pray that I will cherish the time He's giving me and to live a life worthy of the calling I have received. If I were to die today, I just pray that my life would have impacted YOU in some way. In the meantime, I don't want to take for granted the time that He is giving me. 

So, let us build up one another, reminding each other that we have a race marked out for us. Finding every effort to encourage & to impact lives around us,and when we finally reach the finishing line, that we too may say the words Paul said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)

FINISH THE RACE WITHOUT REGRETS.

Be blessed. =)

Two are better than one...

A special post dedicated to the lovely June & Sue Jane. Thank you girls for making the other day a memorable one. =)

-Sincerely, Daniel.

After weeks of planning, we finally managed to meet up last Saturday for our long awaited outing at KLCC. First on our list: Movie!! We watched Beastly, basically a modern day adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, also a book of the same name. After that,we had lunch,ice-cream and had just enough time to get Rotiboy on our way back. However,what was most memorable to me wasn't the movie, nor the awesome lunch we had in the food court (LOL) nor even the ice-cream and Rotiboy. It was all the time that we spent just chit-chatting with one another, sharing with each other stories of our lives & how much God has worked, the time that we ask real & honest questions about God, the precious moment that we prayed for one another in the midst of so many people in KLCC. 

I don't think that I've ever went out with friends for movie and fun but having sharing,prayer & just a time of encouraging one another as our main agenda. This time that we spent sharing, encouraging and praying for each other really really refreshed me & reminded me of how grateful I am to God for putting so many people by my side that helped me so much in many ways.

I was watching a movie yesterday in CF called "Pilgrim's Progress:Journey to Heaven". The main character named Christian was finding his way to the Celestial City (Heaven) & encountering many obstacles along the way. What caught my attention the most was the part where Christian and Hopeful (yes, they use very "literal" names in the movie) was going through the Enchanted Woods where they will slowly grow tired and fall asleep,never to wake up again. There,Christian reminded Hopeful not to sleep. Then they talked about Jesus & how He touched their lives. They just couldn't stop talking about Him and without even realizing it, they went through the woods without falling asleep. 

Later on,they had to swim across a river to reach the Celestial City. As a final desperate attempt to stop them from reaching the City,Satan reminded them of their past sins and convicted them of guilt. Christian and Hopeful both sank and couldn't rise to the surface.Christian's mind was so clouded that he can't remember any of God's promises even when he tried to, but Hopeful remembered that Jesus has washed them clean & he rose up to the surface,pulling Christian along with him.

What struck me the most was how God never intended us to walk this journey alone. We will face great challenges along the way but He will always put people in our lives for us to encourage one another, pull each other up & remind each other of God's faithfulness and unfailing LOVE. Christian and Hopeful helped each other in their journey; neither one could have finished the journey without the help of the other. That was what I was reminded of when I think back of my time in KLCC with June & Sue Jane the other day. Thank you Lord. 

"Two are better than one,

because they have a good return for their work:

If one falls down,

his friend can help him up.

But pity the man who falls

and has no one to help him up!"

(Ecclesiates 4:9-10)

p/s: It's never easy to walk alone in this journey. Good thing is you don't have to. You have brothers and sisters around you who will lend u a hand when you need one. ;)

2011,here I come!!!

It's been a while since I've written huh?Was very preoccupied by a lot of things, especially my finals that I didn't even have time to write my 1st post of the year.4 papers down so far & 1 more to go!!


Well, a new year has come. God was ever graceful to me throughout the year 2010. Ever so faithful, showing me grace when I did not deserve it & showed me wonderful things that He could do if only I allow Him to work in my life. 


Even as I face the year ahead of me, with new responsibilities, new dilemmas, and brand new challenges, I am confident that He will bring me through it & show me the wonders of His LOVE. I've already been entrusted with a few new responsibilities as well as faced a few dilemmas in less than a month since 2011 began. I am sure that greater challenges will come my way, but I am also very excited to see how God will work in my life this year ahead. 


He always has me in His mind and will always do so, so I'm not worried that He'll forsake me. For everything may change but He will always be the same. He knows His plans for me, plans to prosper me not to harm me; plans to give me a hope and a future.So, here I am looking forward to the year ahead of me, CONFIDENT in the LOVE of Christ.

19 years of Blessings & counting...

I just wanna thank all those who wished me Happy Birthday, especially Uncle Moon & the family that took the effort of buying a cake & celebrating for me & my housemates who sang a birthday song for me. I'm now 19 years old (I know I'm OLD)!! 


I've never had this thought before but this time, I just wondered why are birthdays so special to me (and to almost everyone on earth)? Almost everyone will be excited when their birthday comes (except those who hate being a year OLDER). To me, I used to look forward to the gifts, the celebrations & most of all the attention, especially if it's from the ones I care the most. Somehow, my birthday is the only day of the year that I feel...SPECIAL. 


This year, I somehow have a different perspective. Other than being "special" on my birthday, most of all my birthday means that I've experienced yet another year of God's abundant blessings. From the very day I was born until this very moment, I've lived solely on His blessings, His grace & His love; even during all the years that I never knew Him. Of course I still love the gifts, the celebrations & the wishes from my friends & family, but this time around, I want to remember my birthday as a commemoration of another year of living in the BLESSINGS of my Heavenly Father. Everything else falls second place to that. 


So, I just want to thank those of you who remembered my birthday, and for those who didn't, it's okay. It's not like you can remember everyone's birthday, right? I feel special because I know I am loved & most of all, I've been experiencing 19 years of blessings & counting...


P.S: Also, Happy Birthday  to Xin Xin(21st Oct), Leong Eng & Loon Tat(22nd Oct), Eu-Gene & Daniel Phang (23rd Oct)...GOD bless you all =)
The one I waited for didn't come =(. Nah Never mind ;)

A Little "Push" Along the Way

I was just sitting around & a thought just came to me which really made me wanna post this up as a token of GRATITUDE to the people God has put in my life.

I just really wanna thank God for putting many WONDERFUL people in my life who had made great impact in me & in my walk with Him. I've come to realize that God has and will always put people in my life to give me a little "push" when I feel as if I can't go any further. Recent incidents of how a friend encouraged me instead when I was initially intending to encourage the person in the first place (Really thank you for that...), really made me realize that help may come from unexpected people and places.
There are so many more people people that God has put in my life to help me when I was down, so many that sometimes I might no even realize it. In the same way, I really pray that I too can be that little "push" that would help a friend who's in need of encouragement, a lost soul who just wants comfort or even a college guard who's in need of a smile :). Thank YOU, Lord!

We may need a little "push" along the way sometimes,

and it may come from places we least expect it.