God can take the ugliest, least significant to change it into the most beautiful gem

(today's devotion is brought to you by Samantha, Wan Lin and Shauna)

Scripture Reference: Acts 2:1-21

Even as this whole passage speaks about how the holy spirit revealed himself to the people, what was significant was more of Peter addressing the crowd. This is the famous Simon Peter who denied Jesus three times, with a spirit of timidity and of fear. Read John 18:15-18, 25-27.

Peter had been an unstable leader during Jesus’ ministry, letting his bravado be his downfall. But Christ had forgiven and restored him (John 21), not caring about his past mistakes and recovering his covenant with him. In Acts, this was a new Peter, humble but bold.

His confidence came from the Holy spirit, who made him a powerful and dynamic speaker addressing the crowd. He was actually standing up against accusations that speak about the people being drunk. Isn’t it amazing that God can still use a servant as imperfect as him? Even after he denied Jesus infront of all men?

Today, this scripture speaks to two groups of people:

1) Have you ever felt that you’ve made such bad mistakes that God can never forgive and use you? No matter what sins you have committed, God promises to forgive you and make you useful for His kingdom.

Because, today our God is not one that focuses on the past mistakes, He focuses on loving his sheep and renewing His covenant with them. There is never a mistake committed too big that God cannot forgive. Would you repent now in a prayer before God and allow him to forgive you and use you effectively to serve him?


2) Have you ever felt like you are lousy and not good enough to stand up and do the works of God? Do you find yourself judging your standards by the standards of the world just to realize that your self-esteem is so low and that you cannot do anything for God?

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” 2 Cor 12:9 . If you are already that good, how can others see God’s mighty power in You? Today be bold, be strong and courageous, and reject all negative thoughts implanted by the evil one!! Pray now! God yearns to see you standing up proud for His works!

The very high priest = the lamb that was slain. :: Amazing Love, how can it be?::

(today's devotion is brought to you by Samantha, Wan Lin and Shauna)

Scripture Reference: Hebrews 10:1-23

In the old Jewish system, the priest’s work was never finished, they always had to stand and offer sacrifices. These costly sacrifices of animals impressed upon the sinner the seriousness of his or her own sin before God. In verse 3, it states that, “those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins…”

Imagine living in those days where you are constantly reminded of what you have done, the torment must have been great. Most of us would most probably live in guilt and feel unworthy before God the whole life.

But, “God demonstrated His love for us…” John 3:16, the lamb of God that was slain was Jesus. This very priest is His own sacrifice for all of us and His sacrifice is infinitely greater than any Old Testament offering.

He is now sitting beside the Father interceding for all of us and thus, we now “have the confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus”; a place where only priests could enter last time.

Considering the immeasurable gift that Christ has given us, we should respond by giving our devotion and service. Not taking this freedom for granted or treating the Lamb that was sacrifice as… just a fact. Verse 22 then ends with saying, “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart…”

Have you been devoted to God just like how He has been so faithful to you by giving His son? As we enter in the month of April, are you getting weary going deep into the word? As we look far to build His family, don’t forget to continue to draw close to God in your quiet time with Him.

Right now, close your eyes and think about how Christ has died for you. As all the scenes play your mind, utter a word of thanks to God and begin praying with a sincere heart, with all devotion to Him!

Do you look out for the people behind you in a race?

(today's devotion is brought to you by Samantha, Wan Lin and Shauna)

Scripture Reference: Romans 15:1-7

I had once been touched by a friend. She was really good on a subject while on the other hand, I was rather weak. One day, she spoke with me. She told me that she would be willing to help me out in that subject. I was quite taken aback, so I replied, “You know actually it’s ok. You are already “running” so far ahead of me, if you are to turn back to help me out, you might slow yourself down.”

She turned and just smiled at me. “Actually, I believe that in this race, there can be many winners, let’s win this together.” I was deeply moved…

My brothers and sisters, just as how verse 1 is read, we “ought to bear with the failings of the weak”.

Many a time, we have been too caught up with achieving our own goals that we find that we just have no time, NO TIME at all to wait for others. Why? Have you been too caught up with your goal of winning the race in life? About pursuing your own successes, reaching your aims that you find it a chore to slow down your pace to fit in to the weaker ones to help them? Do you find yourself getting agitated or easily irritated by people who are slower and weaker or considering that if they were not even present, you could have progressed so much more?

Pause for a while now to think about it. “Selfishness”… Have you been selfish? Are you willing to “accept one another” and build up the strength of God’s family?

Are you willing to pause in a midst of a race, just to go back to lookout for your fellow neighbour who is struggling at the back?

“… We must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ ”

Think of someone now who have been struggling with certain issues and you haven’t been initiating to help at all. Remember you don’t have to be the best runner to be able to help. Turn around and LOOK FAR, you might see someone in need.

(today's devotion is brought to you by Samantha, Wan Lin and Shauna)

Freely, freely you have received, freely, freely give…

(today's devotion is brought to you by Wan Lin, Samantha and Shauna)

Scripture Reference: John 3:12-21

God demonstrated His love by giving His Son freely to us, even though we deserve to be condemned, He wants to restore us back to Himself. In verse 20, it says that those who do evil are afraid of the light, because they are afraid that their deeds will be exposed. And where does the light come from?

It comes from us, sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. Sometimes people may shun you when you try to bring the light into their lives, don’t be discouraged, instead continue to pray for them. What if the desire to pray for them is not strong? Then go back to verse 16, where God demonstrated His love by giving us Jesus, who atoned for our sins. Your heavenly Father loves you. If any of His sheep goes astray, can you imagine how heart-broken God will be? Can you catch the heart-beat of the Shepherd?

So, let God use you fully as His obedient and willing servant so that you will be just as what Pastor Khong has shared, “A BLESSING TO ALL”, being the torch for Jesus wherever you are.

Pause for a moment to pray for yourself that God will take away any spirit that causes you to be lukewarm and aloof. Pray for a spirit that always aims to touch lives instead of being just a passer-by.

(today's devotion is brought to you by Wan Lin, Samantha and Shauna)

Don’t lose Hope in God.

(today's devotion is brought to you by Shauna, Samantha and Wanlin)

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 1:3-23

We were all redeemed by Jesus Christ, who gave salvation to us even when we don’t deserve it. Made blameless and holy in His sight, God deposited his Holy Spirit in us, securing eternal life for us.

Paul prayed for his people because he knows that they are all God’s beloved, he wanted the people to know more about God personally, and to see the hope which God has given to us as complete assurance of victory. Knowing that many of your friends are God’s beloved, will you pray for them?

Think of 3 people and take some time off to pray for them, pray and ask God to renew the hope in them, be it hope in their studies or hope that their families will receive unity.

Not forgetting about yourself, have you stopped having hope in God? Then ask God to ‘enlighten your heart’ so that you can know the hope again.


“But as for me, I will always have hope, I will praise You more and more” –Psalm 71:14

(today's devotion is brought to you by Shauna, Samantha and Wanlin)

Living as Christ’s ambassadors, warriors of light!

(today's devotion is brought to you by Shauna, Samantha and Wanlin)

Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 5:10 – 21

The G12 vision is all about reaching out to people, but some of us begin to focus on the numbers instead. The constant mantra of “I must get my 12” becomes a pressurizing statement. Evangelism should never be done just for the sake of numbers – it should be done out of love, because “Christ’s love compels us” (v 14a). Why do you want to invite your friends to church? Why do you want them to get to know Christ? Is it so that you can add them to your sheep and feel proud of the numbers you have? Or is it because you truly love them and you wish for them to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ?

When we evangelize out of love, people can feel the love and sincerity behind our actions, and they will naturally be more open to what we tell them. Do not forget that “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God” (v20) As Christ’s ambassadors, we must remember to watch our behaviour and our actions. Are we acting in love and living our lives as good testimonies onto Christ? Today I feel that the plea to be reconciled to God is not just for our non-believing friends out there. Today, it is also a plea from the Lord to you, telling you “be reconciled to Me”.

How have you been behaving?
Have you just been “Christian” but not really “Christ-like”?
How many of us are guilty of just being “Sunday Christians”? We appear to be holy and close to God when it comes to church, when it comes to Sundays, but once we are away from the church community, we act like an entirely different person altogether!
Let’s not kid ourselves…what we are doing is hypocritical. Today if you are guilty of that and you know the Lord is speaking to you, repent and ask Him to help you in living your life as His ambassador, as a warrior of light in this troubled generation!
Don’t just play religion…be Christ-like!

(today's devotion is brought to you by Shauna, Samantha and Wanlin)

Renew your mind!

(today's devotion is brought to you by Samantha, Shauna and Wan Lin)

Scripture Reference: Romans 8: 1-14

How many of you struggle with sin? Well, I know I do. There was a point in my life when, while seemingly obeying what my parents told me to do, I was actually angry and rebellious on the inside, even when I knew what they told me was right.

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Romans 7:15)

I used to wonder why this was so, then I realized that although I had been a Christian for very long (since birth) I had not renewed my mind! “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” (Romans 17:18b) I realized that sin was still living in my life and controlling me, controlling my emotions and actions, although in my head, I knew what was right.

How did I manage to overcome the sin in my life and live victoriously?
It was actually Jesus who did it, and not me. “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.” (V9a)

All I had to do was to let the Spirit of God take over and take control. Romans 6:11 & 12 tell us, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” Jesus has actually already died on the cross for us, and the sin that is in our life is already dead! For me, what was important was to confess my sins, renounce them, and pray to God, asking Him to renew my mind and take His rightful place in my life.

Knowing that I was living by the Spirit also reminded me that I had “an obligation – but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.” (V12) Living in the Spirit, to me, meant growing in the fruit of the Spirit – in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control! It also reminded me to live in love and in thanksgiving, thanking God for saving me from my sin and for renewing my mind!

So, when you encounter someone or a situation that can bring out the worst in you, pause and check your thoughts. Can you let the Holy Spirit guide you to respond rather than let out your usual reactions? When your life is Spirit-filled, the fruit of it will come forth naturally.

Today do you struggle with a persistent sin you just cannot seem to overcome? By your might and strength, you will never be able to defeat the sin. Why don’t you just take that step to the cross today to pray for a renewal of your mind? Repent of your sin and renounce it, and start making a conscious effort to live in the Spirit and by the Spirit. Breakout and experience your year of victory!

(today's devotion is brought to you by Samantha, Shauna and Wan Lin)

Fearing God

(today's devotion is brought to you by Pastor Debra)

Scripture Reference: Psalms 103:17

Psalm 103:17 “The Lord’s love is with those who fear him and his righteousness with their children’s children- with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his percepts.”

There is a difference in using ‘with’ or ‘for’ in the first part of this verse. While God’s love is unconditional for all of humanity, including the most wicked criminal, His eternal abiding love IS conditional. Ah? You may ask, “Did I read correctly? God’s love is conditional?” Yes, it’s true. If you decide to break God’s heart & leave Him, He will still love you, but you no longer stay with Him since you walked away, like the prodigal son in Luke 15. So, if you want to live & walk with His love, not live like He feels far far away, God calls us to fear Him!

There are two meanings to the word ‘fear’. God isn’t asking you to be scared of Him, rather He wants His children to ‘revere’ Him. Revere means to hold Him with regard. Some parallels would be, if we revere our parents or teachers, we won’t talk back to them, call them old fashion etc. Rather, that deep sense of respect will cause us to think well and speak well of them. Even when we hear them tell us what they think is best, we trust their words & receive their words like a treasure!

We learnt from Pastor Cesar during G12 conference about the spirit of rebellion. It comes up often in the voice of saying, “I do not agree.” For most of us, we can become so individualistic and fail to submit to the various figures of authorities in our life.

Check your heart today if you value the advice & opinions of these authorities:

~ God & the Bible

~ Your parents

~ School, your teachers including school rules

~ Your church leaders: cell leader, G12 leader, pastors

If you struggle with any particular person, maybe because you think this teacher really doesn’t care at all, trust that when you submit, God is proud of you! He will accompany you through whatever struggles you may have with the person and you will come out praising Him!

(today's devotion is brought to you by Pastor Debra)

Rejoice in Him in All Things!

(today's devotion is brought to you by Sarah)

Scripture Reference: Philippians 4:4-13

God wants us to rejoice in His name and have faith in His works.

When we get into trouble, it’s unlikely that we feel like giving thanks. Perhaps what fills our minds are regrets & worries. God wants us to realise that in spite of our concerns, He has a great plan for us and can take care of what is bothering you. God is telling us to believe that w are able to “do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Indeed, “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

The reason Paul is able to say all that with confidence is that he has learnt to be content in every situation & he has experienced first hand the goodness of God who gives him strength even in trying times. If you are unable to experience or believe in God during tough moments, perhaps you could check your heart, to see who or what is reigning there.

Then seek Him out.Tell him of your good days, your bad days and most of all trust in Him to pull you through. The Devil may make things seem dark and without any future, but God will turn those circumstances around to bring us great blessings and to glorify His name. He is fully capable of turning lemons into lemonade!

The more we trust in God, the more we will be able to see Him come through for us.

Therefore, we can rejoice in the Lord! All the help & blessings come from Him! Rejoice that you have a God who loves you so much He not only sent His only Son, Jesus to die for you, but cares about every detail of your life and has given you the privilege to go to Him 24/7.

Take Him up on His offer & you will find Him strengthening you with His joy!

(today's devotion is brought to you by Sarah)

Discipline = love

(Today's devotion is brought to you by Cheryl, Pearl and Dawn)

Scripture Reference: Nehemiah 9:6-37

I remember vividly when I was still in primary school, my mum would wield the cane whenever I misbehaved. She would first warn me, then when I misbehaved again, I’d get smacked on the hand. After the punishment, my mother would tell me what I did wrong, and she made it very clear that she still loved me.

Despite getting many canings in my childhood years and angering my mother time and again, she never gave up on me or stopped taking good care of me. She always gave me the best food possible for my growth, and loved me all the same.

The Lord loves us many more times, in the same manner. In today’s passage, it records that He brought the Israelites out of captivity, gave them the Ten Commandments, fed them with manna, when they had enough of bread, he gave them quails, provided water when they were thirsty. He blessed them with the promised land and numerous descendants.

Time and again, when the Israelites grumbled against Him, He punished them. But when the Israelites cried out to Him, He forgave them and did not abandon them.

The seed of unfaithfulness passed on to the next generation. The Israelites’ descendants did not keep God’s commands, and hence God handed them over to the neighboring peoples to discipline them, v30. The blessing and freedom which they enjoyed, was taken away.

Many times, we blame God for taking away something precious in our lives. But have we examined our lives carefully to see if we have displeased God in any way?

Punishment is never pleasant, but if God wants us to change for the better, He will discipline.

Sometimes, the devil would deceive us by telling us that we have sinned too many times for God to forgive us. That is NOT TRUE! Once we are God’s children, we will always be God’s children. God will never abandon us.

So today, tell yourself that you are God’s child, remember that God’s love is everlasting. Yet at the same time, don’t take God’s love for granted.

God’s love is new every morning, let’s give thanks for His mercy and love!

(Today's devotion is brought to you by Cheryl, Pearl and Dawn)

The Lord's Chosen!

(Today's devotion is brought to you by Cheryl, Pearl and Dawn)

Scripture Reference: Psalms 133

When I first read through the scripture, the main verse that stood out was Psalm 133:1- “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!”

It is without a doubt that a family grows better together in unity instead of focusing on one another’s disparity.

Reading deeper into the verses in Psalm 133, I realized that God is actually telling us that when we live together in unity, it is like oil poured on the head and running down Aaron’s beard, and the oil symbolizes God’s blessing! When the family is united, God’s blessings will be like oil running down the generations, every generation will be blessed because God’s precious oil is poured out first on the head, and it will flow to the generations after.

Has it been difficult for you to embrace your spiritual family? Are your personal differences dividing your tribe? Today it is time to reflect on yourself. Are you willing to set aside differences and let God’s blessings flow like precious oil?

As simple as this song is, use it today to remind yourself that we are God’s chosen and we are to grow as one family.

God’s Family

God’s family ,God’s children,
Lift up your voice
God’s family, God’s chosen,
Let us rejoice!

United in the Spirit , United in the Lord,
One for another, one in the Lord!

(Today's devotion is brought to you by Cheryl, Pearl and Dawn)

Where do we go from here?

(today's devotion is brought to you by Pearl, Cheryl and Dawn)

Scripture Reference: Mark 10: 46-52

At some point in our life, we might encounter a situation in which we will feel as blind as a bat, totally directionless and helpless.

I would imagine that it would be exactly how Bartimaeus was feeling. The blind man was sitting by the roadside begging when a large crowd came and was about to leave. But amongst the noise and bustling that was happening around him, Bartimaeus heard someone’s name.

Instead of sitting there and feeling helpless for himself, Bartimaeus decided to call out the person’s name, the name of the preacher who performed many miracles.

V47- “When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Unfortunately, the people around Bartimaeus told him to be quiet, and some of them even scolded him. But the blind man continued to cry out: “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

All Bartimaeus did was ask with his unwavering faith, and Jesus heard his cry and healed him.

Are you feeling jaded and helpless?

Instead of wallowing in your own sorrows and handling your own problems, why not call out to the Savior? He who healed the sick and raised the dead can do so much more for you, but only if you cry out to Him, and not let what others say deter you from seeking him.

For Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-8:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Today for your Quiet Time, call upon the name of the Lord and ask him to save you from whatever situation you are in!

Do not give up in calling out His name, no matter how people might discourage you, but The Lord will come to heal you and restore you.

Without God, we are nothing. With God, we can do everything through Him who strengthens us.

(today's devotion is brought to you by Pearl, Cheryl and Dawn)

Are you respecting your elders??

(today's devotion is brought to you by Cheryl, Pearl and Dawn)

Scripture Reference: 1 Peter 5:5-11

Reading this passage brings a smile to my face because I have encountered this type of situations often in my life.

I used to be a rebellious girl who never felt really close to my parents and as a result I didn’t have much respect for them. However because of our weak relationship, they became quite protective of me and I felt very restricted in many areas of my life. And when I was restricted, all the more I will try to get freedom.

To cut a long story short I finally decided I should EARN my freedom and started building stronger relationships with them. Right now we are closer and happier as they trust me more and hence they allowed me to go out and all. So, YAY! ☺

In this passage God asks for us to respect our elders and to humble ourselves for it says in verse 5 :” Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

So today ask yourself if there are times you have been disrespectful to your parents or teachers? Ask God for His forgiveness or better still, you can humble yourself and approach them and ask for their forgiveness too. This year is a year of victory and we can kick start this year by proclaiming victory over our personal lives!

The rest of the passage also encourages us to know that whatever hardships we may be enduring now is similar to many of our brothers & sisters, v9. BE STRONG! And do not let the devil rob u away from the blessings of God.

For in verse 10 it says: ”and the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

So today two key things to remember… Be humble and Keep your Faith Shining!

(today's devotion is brought to you by Cheryl, Pearl and Dawn)

Love One Another, Forgive!

(today's devotion is brought to you by Cheryl, Pearl and Dawn)

Scripture Reference: John 15:9-12

The command to love one another as Jesus loved us is mentioned so often that it can be like a passing remark. A remark we use to remind ourselves and not know the real truth of doing it. It is always natural for us to respond in friendship to those who talk to us or treat us nicely. To love our enemies or people who have hurt us before is not easy.

Jesus did not say that it was easy too. All He asked of us was to remain in His love and obey His command and that joy will be made complete in us. Hating someone is not easy with all the anger that you have built up within yourself. Think about it, doesn’t it take a lot of effort and strength to remember the details about how someone hurt you or the sarcastic comment and so on? What’s more, all these efforts aren’t going to translate to better grades in school, so let it go!

One important step to take today is to forgive. Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” That’s why Jesus could ask us to love one another. He has demonstrated His love towards us by forgiving us and desires that you do so too. By doing so, all the pent up hatred will be gone and joy will be made in us.

Is there someone that you would like to forgive today?

Make the effort to love those you avoid today. It will please Him & you will show yourself to be His disciple, follower!

(today's devotion is brought to you by Cheryl, Pearl and Dawn)

Open Up your Spiritual Ears to Hear More!

(today's devotion is brought to you by Anthea, Ling Ling and Shinuan)

Scripture Reference: Mark 4:21-29

Listen up children of God, to what Jesus has to teach us today! As the first verse of today’s passage says ‘If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear,’ (v23) so let us open our hearts to receive God’s word and be attentive to what He has to teach us.

Why is it so important to listen to God’s word and be doers of it? Mark 4:24, ‘Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you--and even more’, tells us that if we listen to God’s word and keep it close to our hearts and faithfully share His word to others, God will bless us with more revelation of His word and more knowledge of the Gospel.

Also, from v25, we are told that if we have the light of Jesus in us and the knowledge of God, and we make proper use of it we shall have more. So children of God, be encouraged that even as you strive to obey God and know His word deeply, you will be given more and will shine brighter and brighter for Christ. If we know this revelation, reading God’s word and obeying Him will not be such a chore!

Once we understand the importance of hearing God’s word and making use of it for His glory, we will be faithful ambassadors of God. We all want to be vessels for God to use in the furtherance of His kingdom. Today’s passage speaks about the kingdom of God and it is important to know what it is like so we can be productive in helping it grow.

We are like the man in the parable who plants the seed. In order to be ambassadors of Christ, we first need to plant the seed of God’s word in the hearts of prebelievers. In order to do this, you need to be equipped with God’s word and that is where the first part of today’s devotional comes in!

The second thing we need to do is to rest in God and entrust our ministry and efforts to Him. We too go to sleep like the man in the parable (v27) but even then, the kingdom of God is still growing when we are not up and running about. This is to say that we should put it in our best and be diligent but ultimately, God is the one who is in charge and causes the growth. ‘I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.’ (1 Co3:6)

The third thing is we need to have faith to believe the kingdom of God will come eventually and when it does, it will be glorious. Although the kingdom of God started out with only 12 apostles, God has used them mightily and multiplied His kingdom. Although some people may turn away when God’s word is preached, we must not give up and continue to believe in the power of God’s word and the mighty wonders it will do and the numerous people who will hear His word and be saved.

So embrace the power of the Word of God and you will see the light of Christ in you shining brighter and brighter and touching more lives as you share the Gospel!

‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.’ (Romans 1:16)

(today's devotion is brought to you by Anthea, Ling Ling and Shinuan)