My God Reigns

I experience God's presence at GAP today! Thanks Matt for leading this song! Was really ministered by it... and its amazing to just keep dwelling in God's presence when you know God is there when you pray!

My God Reigns
- Matt Hooper & Jock James

I have a hope so sure
An anchor for my soul
My peace in the worst of times
I trust in God alone

Let every voice declare it now

My God reigns
His love will never fail me
My God reigns – He’s ruling over all
In all my Life
In every situation I know
My God is greater
My God is over all

By faith I have believed
And on this truth I stand
No power in life or death
Can take me from His hand

Above all sickness, above all fear
Above every heartache here
In earth and heav’n – My God reigns!
Above all power, above all thrones
The greatest love I’ve ever known
Today, forever, my God reigns!

MY NSF JOURNEY

Below is a sharing of a bit of the experience of my NS Journey thus far after my S1 ask a few of us from our company to write up our experience on our journey as an NSF for some army internet portal. As i wrote this write up, I actually thought back what an enjoyable, memorable NSF journey thus far, which is making me consider even more if i should extend a short term contract in the SAF before I continue my Full time calling into seminary in the future...

I still remember the day where I was just a fresh graduated from Temasek Design School, who aspire to serve full time in a church after he finish his 1 Year 10 months of national Service and was full of zeal to experience the whole army life.

I was enlisted in the national service on 13 July 2009, where I was posted to BMTC School 2, Leopard Company Platoon 2. And that was where my whole journey started.

Looking back in my Basic Military Training (BMT), it sure was one of the key moments where I grew a lot from a fresh recruit to become a private after 9 weeks. I met great friends which I still keep in contact today. We all came from different backgrounds; with different values and experiences in life, but one thing that unite us was the common purpose of serving the nation in this period of our life.

After BMT, I was posted to the Officer’s Cadet School (OCS), as the 77/09 batch where I was posted to Tango Wing. The environment and regimentation here was of a much higher standard, where there were a lot of moments in my first 3 weeks confinement which I just felt like giving up.

My OCS buddies in my first term.

Service term past after 3 mths and soon I was in my Professional Term where I was posted in the Signal Officer Cadet Course (SOCC) where we were trained to be Signals officers. We went through all kinds of mental and physical challenges over our journey, even having the chance to go for 2 overseas trip. In the end, I ended my course well and was given the Sword of Merit, which was something I never ever expected to get initially when I first step into OCS. Everyone here was great leaders in their various ways, but I personally believed the value of The Spirit of Excellence which I kept to since I step into BMT was where it got me today.

After 9 month, on 19 June 2010, we were commissioned by the President and became Officers of the SAF. Going through the grueling 9 months in OCS certainly has taught me a lot and molded my leadership and character as a person.

Commissioning Parade!

Right now as a junior officer, I’m currently posted as a platoon commander of signal specialist and men. Unit life sure is very different compared to the training school environment which I was use to in my first year as an NSF. As an officer one really has a lot more responsibility. One needs to take more initiative giving instructions, overseeing the operations, and looking after the welfare of your men. And like what it’s said in our Officer’s Creed, we are answerable to our men training, moral and discipline. At the end of the day, it is so different compared to a trainee life where most of the time we are just taking orders, right now its real people and operations that we are dealing with.

I cannot mention much about the operations that we do as a lot of it is classified, but I can say I’m really the fortunate few who get to experience real urban operations and go to places where one would never ever imagine being involved in as ac civilian. Aside from operations, as an officer you really get to work with all kind of people too from your various bosses, fellow platoon commanders, the specialist under you and the men which you train during their Unit Induction Programme (UIP).

Besides all the tough trainings and administrative things one need to do, there’s always the fun times as well when we are on standby during weekends in camp. We get to play games with our men, cooked food or just watch movies.

At the end of the day, the journey has certainly been fulfilling as a platoon commander. Besides operations and trainings, I believe the influence one has to his men as a platoon commander is so much more intrinsic than getting awards or bonuses. And the experience you get here in this time serving the nation full time is what I believe we will remember for life, so do treasure your time if your still serving the nation in this period of your life. What ever vocation or appointment we hold, I believe we will look back and still remember the experiences that we get in our 2 years in national service.

The divine opportunity which God provided me to seize!

I didn't really plan this but this 3rd entry seems like a continuation of my previous 2 posts

My initial post was as Sharing about "Seizing your divine moment"... followed by "Don't miss that opportunity" from a devotional that i read...And now recently i feel inspired to share something which happened to me last weekend...

¹⁵But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,1 Peter 3:15

The day started in my bunk on a saturday morning in camp, when i got a call that i needed to stand in as a duty officer for the camp as the previous CDO did not turn up and i was the last resort replacement...at the start i was thinking whats the odds of this happening as i was supposedly already manning in camp... but i just decided to continue and do it...and as the day past... i started to recall that maybe God has a purpose and plan for me being on duty that very day...I was praying in the office, for an opportunity that i can just seize...

...and slowly the afternooon past... and by night a second duty clerk came to change shift... when he came into the office we just started some small chat and i somehow that small chat started to become a pretty deep discussion abt the Faith that i believed in and even had some new insights of certain End times topics which i wld share later through our discussion.

It all started with the usual questions of what i plan to do after I ORD?...and it was where it led me to share my testimony of how i became so devoted to Christ which led me one day choosing to go to a bible college after i ORD...he then started asking a lot of questions ...which led to me to share a whole bunch of topics...like abt spiritual gifts,why there is a Creator,questions abt a Greater Being that sets the laws and morals of the world and also abt Faith...

I can tell this guy that i just met was an intellectual guy who wld probably succeed in the world we live in. Someone who have a drive to succeed in this secular world, who aims to earn a lot of money in the future. I guess there was a curiosity in him which led him to ask a lot of questions pertaining to Christianity... one of it was abt what he heard abt the End times...

So I just shared some of my 2 cents thoughts to it, one of it was relating to a speculation of barcodes and 666 which i once heard abt of...where it states that the mark of the beast wld have the number 666, and that in all barcodes they have that number too. And that was predicted in Revelations too, that one day people would have such mark implanted in their right hands and foreheads, and one need such a mark to buy or sell things.

"16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[e] That number is 666." Revelation 13:16-18

The scary things about this is...such implantation are already happening in the world, and now its almost going into this cashless society where everything is by scanning of cards? Ez-link? Cash cards? and soon everyone in the world wld have such a barcode which will be implanted in one's hand or forehead?

For full reference to the link that both of us found on the inet while having that conversation....(Do read this is quite mind blowing)

http://www.av1611.org/666/barcode.html

Look at any barcode you have....will you think twice wld you think twice that it will be the mark of the beast to come?

Although all this are just speculations... the coincidences of all these seems to fit to well...and i believe somehow just from those conversations abt the End times, led to us referring to the Bible where i believed had led him to be convince that maybe what the bible all says really is the TRUTH. At the end of the day, I cld sense that he was kinda convinced by it,which led him to want to read a bit of the book of revelations from the bible that was in front of me at that point of time.

Well i dunno if this guy i met that day wld stumble across this post... but i do pray that the long conversation I had abt the Faith i believed in wld have watered a seed that was already planted in his heart years ago when he last step into a church. Although he was still very skeptical then, somehow... i'm praying that what was shared to him that night wld have moved in his heart and soon one day acknowledge that there really is a Greater Being out there who cares and LOVE us and all he needs is to received and accept the GRACE that is given freely to him.