Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Hmm. If anyone thinks that demons doesn't exist in the world, I would like to declare to that person that he/she should go watch The Exorcist. What I have personally seen happening during the SWW is a far cry from the drama-mama portrayed in the movie, but nevertheless after the concluding session of SWW on Sunday, it firmed up for me the reality of demons and spirits in this world.
I'm not going to reveal the details of what I've experienced because it can get sensitive. However, what I can say is that it takes not only the effort of the person casting out the demon to get the evil spirit out of someone, but it also requires very much the will of the host to get rid of the demon. If the host is not willing or not ready to be delivered, then there is little point going through the deliverance--or rather, the effort will yield little.
Another take-home is that deliverance is a process rather than an event. It takes time to interview the host, interrogate the demon, and to pray and discern throughout the whole process. From what I understand, the process can take hours, and even over several sessions.
My prayer, therefore, is that I do not get caught up in the methods and techniques of deliverance, but rather ask God to reveal His power and glory in such situations. What happens in a deliverance session is ultimately in the hands of God, not mine.
I'm not going to reveal the details of what I've experienced because it can get sensitive. However, what I can say is that it takes not only the effort of the person casting out the demon to get the evil spirit out of someone, but it also requires very much the will of the host to get rid of the demon. If the host is not willing or not ready to be delivered, then there is little point going through the deliverance--or rather, the effort will yield little.
Another take-home is that deliverance is a process rather than an event. It takes time to interview the host, interrogate the demon, and to pray and discern throughout the whole process. From what I understand, the process can take hours, and even over several sessions.
My prayer, therefore, is that I do not get caught up in the methods and techniques of deliverance, but rather ask God to reveal His power and glory in such situations. What happens in a deliverance session is ultimately in the hands of God, not mine.
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Might as well update my blog while waiting for the laundry to be done. Yes, I do laundry in the middle of the night so that they don't get left in the washing machine the whole day, wet and stuffy. Clothes that are wet and stuffy turn smelly, despite the fact they have just been washed. I have enough of such experiences in hall to testify the fact that such biological and chemical reactions take place in wet clothes.
I just came back from a wonderful meeting with a few of my JC classmates, a number of them which I had lost contact since I've graduated from JC. It's great to see them again, and all of us have already started work. One is a civil servant, another a network engineer, one is a embedded systems engineer, and yet another is a land broker. And I am a youth worker. All of us came from a computing background in JC, it's interesting how diverse people can be. Which leads me to think: what you study in university doesn't really matter; what matters most is to enjoy what you are working as.
Well, at least in this stage of our lives when we don't have much family responsibilities...
It's exciting to be able to meet my old classmates again, and inevitability we steered towards catching up on other of our classmates we've not seen in such a long time. Some are teaching, and others, well...I'm not too clear about the rest.
Even as we all move on to another stage of our lives, it's even more important to maintain ties with the people who have been part of your life in the past...to remember that we had such wonderful times. It somehow has the power to remove the tiredness of the present; to recharge for the future.
When will we meet again? I don't know, but there are plans to organize a barbecue gathering sometime later in the year. Whether it will come to pass is a big question mark. :)
I just came back from a wonderful meeting with a few of my JC classmates, a number of them which I had lost contact since I've graduated from JC. It's great to see them again, and all of us have already started work. One is a civil servant, another a network engineer, one is a embedded systems engineer, and yet another is a land broker. And I am a youth worker. All of us came from a computing background in JC, it's interesting how diverse people can be. Which leads me to think: what you study in university doesn't really matter; what matters most is to enjoy what you are working as.
Well, at least in this stage of our lives when we don't have much family responsibilities...
It's exciting to be able to meet my old classmates again, and inevitability we steered towards catching up on other of our classmates we've not seen in such a long time. Some are teaching, and others, well...I'm not too clear about the rest.
Even as we all move on to another stage of our lives, it's even more important to maintain ties with the people who have been part of your life in the past...to remember that we had such wonderful times. It somehow has the power to remove the tiredness of the present; to recharge for the future.
When will we meet again? I don't know, but there are plans to organize a barbecue gathering sometime later in the year. Whether it will come to pass is a big question mark. :)
Monday, September 20, 2004
Today was the first time I've flossed. I ended up using meters and meters of floss, 30 minutes in the bathroom, and a body of sweat. But I ended up having (hopefully) a cleaner set of teeth. All these because I had to go for a dental examination later in the day, and whether my friend will pass (both him and me) depends on how clean my teeth is. Otherwise it's another visit to his clinic...bother...
It's been an exciting but tiring weekend, staying in church going through training for Spiritual Warfare. I won't say it's a totally mind-blowing experience, but it definitely shook the old thinking that spiritual warfare is all about casting out demons and healing the sick (these are just two areas of spiritual warfare). Every decent Christian should understand what spiritual warfare is about--some of us probably are already engaging in spiritual warfare without knowing that we are!
So, we've been engaged in a spiritual war since we became a Christian! So now what? As with any armed forces in the world, you'll need to train your soldiers, equipping them with tools and skills so that they can be more effective in combat, right? This is what the Spiritual Warfare Weekend aims to do: equipping us so that we can be more effective soldiers of Christ!
Who says being a Christian is boring?
It's been an exciting but tiring weekend, staying in church going through training for Spiritual Warfare. I won't say it's a totally mind-blowing experience, but it definitely shook the old thinking that spiritual warfare is all about casting out demons and healing the sick (these are just two areas of spiritual warfare). Every decent Christian should understand what spiritual warfare is about--some of us probably are already engaging in spiritual warfare without knowing that we are!
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 [NIV], emphasis mine)
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. (Ephesians 6:11-12 [NIV], emphasis mine)
So, we've been engaged in a spiritual war since we became a Christian! So now what? As with any armed forces in the world, you'll need to train your soldiers, equipping them with tools and skills so that they can be more effective in combat, right? This is what the Spiritual Warfare Weekend aims to do: equipping us so that we can be more effective soldiers of Christ!
Who says being a Christian is boring?
Friday, September 10, 2004
take a walk around town with...
This is one blog (actually, the only one) that I do have a constant following to. This guy's pretty controversial sometimes, but what I find it interesting is that he is not afraid of voicing his own opinions. That's right, opinions. This means it's a very personal thing, be it in the mainstream or otherwise. This is a guy who has his own opinions and will stand by it (reminds me of at least one other friend who is like him). I've only met him in person at most twice, and most of our contacts is actually online.
That reminds me, I haven't been on MSN for quite a while since I've moved back home.
Anyway, he's got qualities that I would like to develop for myself, and indeed, he's on my personal Hall of Fame in photography, which translate that his pictures will always attract my attention. He turns in pretty consistent, high-quality work that appeals to my aesthetic palette.
This is one blog (actually, the only one) that I do have a constant following to. This guy's pretty controversial sometimes, but what I find it interesting is that he is not afraid of voicing his own opinions. That's right, opinions. This means it's a very personal thing, be it in the mainstream or otherwise. This is a guy who has his own opinions and will stand by it (reminds me of at least one other friend who is like him). I've only met him in person at most twice, and most of our contacts is actually online.
That reminds me, I haven't been on MSN for quite a while since I've moved back home.
Anyway, he's got qualities that I would like to develop for myself, and indeed, he's on my personal Hall of Fame in photography, which translate that his pictures will always attract my attention. He turns in pretty consistent, high-quality work that appeals to my aesthetic palette.
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