How Christ transformed my life?

WARNING:  If you know you will feel annoyed reading things related to Christ, please DO NOT continue reading.  Thank you. 

So yeah, I didn't want to document this on my blog but as I was doing my daily reading (#thepurposedrivenlife) today(chapter 32), I'm taught to share with others by Using What God Gave You.  Here are some sentences I've taken out of the context from the book itself.

What you are is God's gift to you;

what you do with yourself is your gift to God. 

(Pg 249)

Review your life and think about how it has shaped you. 

"Remember today what you have learned about the Lord through your experiences with Him" 

because forgotten experiences are worthless. (Pg 252)

The previous chapter also taught us to define moments of your life and consider how He wants to use those lessons of yours to help others.  Especially the very experience that you have resented or regretted most in life - the ones you've wanted to hide and forget - are the experiences God wants to use to help others.  (Pg 247)

As I was reading it I knew I must write this blogpost;
not just because I want to share with others but I knew the experiences were priceless and I do not want to forget the little details.

For those who didn't know, I was born in a christian family and I've been going to church since young attending children church, youth and so forth.  But when I was in my secondary times, I was so caught up with my debate team and didn't have time for church anymore.  In another word, I just backslide and simply threw a bunch of excuses to my mom.

If Im not mistaken, I think I did not attend any church service continuously for 7 years since I was 13.  Its ridiculous.  Although I did not attend church, I am still a believer.  I believe in Christ and I seek Him once in a while, mostly only start praying when things are not going smooth. (don't be like that)

Back then when I was much younger, I always compare and complain about my family.  Why I don't have more family love?  Why is my dad so strict to me all the time?  Why is my mom so ignorant?  No one seems to be considerate when it comes to me - So I turned to my friends because I just couldn't stay at home.  All the partying, young kids drama act, puppy love, sneaking out late nights, etc - I could have easily picked up smoking or having addiction because cigarettes and drugs were so common to me at that point of time.  But I really want to Thank God for always protecting me because even at that point of time, when I was always out and partying, I have this strong feeling inside me that hates those things so forget about making me addicted to it.  (and everyone thought I was being strange or arrogant to them)

THINKING BACK ABOUT IT NOW GIVES ME GOOSEBUMPS! 
I knew I wasn't growing, instead I was messed up, very messed up. 

But our God is such AMAZING GOD.  I am still very amazed and thankful with how God planned every single details for me.  It is all connected and it all make sense to me now.
Although I wasn't being raised in a perfect family, I had a perfect God.  :)

I started working since I was 14 y/o and knew the value of money.  Since then, I slowly left the havoc-messed-up-scene and stepped into the society where I work for part time freelance jobs to make additional income.  I even gotten myself hired to be an agent when I was 19 with a high pay considering I am not the most popular ones, not the prettiest or sexy ones, neither am I the smartest one.   I really don't know how did everything happened but I guess  we just have to leave it all to Him because its all in His planning and His knows when is the best timing.  

Moving on, when I was 19 (it was september 28, 2010) I started my own business.
How?

Haha, God really knows me best and He knew how 被动 I was.
To be more specific, I didn't look for that opportunity neither did anyone looked for me.  It was my ex-boyfriend that wanted to do the business and that time I didn't allowed him to.  The one fine day we both argued and he said he was going to do the business without me - I was so pissed and I literally went and approach my friend saying that I WANT to do the business, although I didn't really want to.  Its just the ego to show my exbf that I can do it also. (LOL!!!)

God makes no mistakes.  It was not an "accident" or "coincidence" that I went in the business.  God put me in that environment to mold me, shape me - to prepare me for His plans.  Everything that I learned in the business was fantastic and beyond useful for my life. It was an amazing journey.  I was taught so much about mindset, values, sincerity, discipline, and how to be a good follower.  In fact God wanted to teach me these lessons but He knew I wasn't going to get it from church or any bible study(at that point I wasn't attending church) so He used another way -  the another way that blessed me with so much knowledge and wealth, so much happiness and true joy we have shared with one another throughout the business.   I remembered when I started the business I was so busy I didn't have a lot of time to chill and party - in another word I didn't waste my time on useless hanging out session everyday. -- See how God pulled me away and taught me about time management??? 

It didn't just end there.
Our God is always a judge that loves to put us into test. 
He put me through S-O  M-A-N-Y challenges and struggles:  All the countless pain, hurtful words that pierce through my heart, that leads to my constant heartache and tears.

 Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days.

When your heart is broken, when you feel abandoned, when you're out of option, when the pain is great - you turned to God alone.  

It is during suffering that we learn to pray our most authentic prayers. (Pg 194)

He uses all these pain to remind me that I am weak and I NEED HIM in my life, it is through these painful experiences that brought me nearer to God;  He surrounded me with tons of difficult situation and people, to train me to love unconditionally without judging or comparing.

God developed the fruit of the spirit in your life by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you're tempted to express the opposite quality! (Pg 202)


What's the point loving someone that is lovable?
Christ is about loving the unloved, and saved the unsaved;
What's the point showing patience to someone that is always punctual and on time?
Patience is developed in circumstances in which we're forced to wait and are tempted to be angry;
We can definitely be peaceful by watching a beautiful sunset in a vacation.
But we learn real peace by choosing to trust God when you're facing difficulties. 

-

There is a season for everything, because God has everything in control and things will go according to his plans.  You just have to TRUST him and always PRAY.

How I started attending City Harvest was also a miracle to me but it is definitely one of God's wonderful plans.  Before that let me tell you about how I got to know about City Harvest Church.

It was during Emerge 2008 - I was invited by Fibiee to Sunway Convention Center, took a picture with Liu Geng Hong too (ok thats not the point)

yes thats me in pink with Fibiee and another Adele

This was Careen's CG if Im not mistaken. 

(speaking of which I really think God's plan was wonderfully made way before I could think off)

I even blogged about it on my blog HERE. 

It left a great impact for me although I only went one night.  I don't even remember what Emerge was all about but I remembered this church.   But guess what? I didn't attend CHCKL starting from 2008 though.  As usual,  I was giving tons of excuses for not being able to attend church.  (Back in 2008 the excuse I use was  "busy working freelance job" I think??)

This is Leonard (which is my current leader of E46X haha)

I knew Leonard as an event friend few years back - little did I know he will be the one guiding me through my way back growing in Christ :) 

I still remember it was year 2009 that I start asking Leonard to bring me to City Harvest Church but I always didn't make it because I couldn't wake up after partying on a Saturday night -__-   The whole asking-leonard-to-bring-me-to-church-thing has been going on for approximately 2 years.  -___-

I think at this point of time he was already fed up with me not waking up for church.

Look! It took me ONE year to reply him. lol

-

But its all good in God's hands. 

He knew when was the best timing for me to come back - To serve and worship Him.  

Now that I'm rooted in City Harvest KL, I don't even know how did everything happened but the dots are all connected.  God planned it all for me since day one, from my family background to my education experiences;  from the bunch of friends I surround myself with, to learning the value of money through all the freelance jobs;  and how He blessed me with priceless values through my business, and then NOW...  I couldn't be more thankful for worshipping a God that loves us so much and put in so much detail in designing our lives specifically. 

If you have not read this book, you really should:
The Purpose Driven Life written by Rick Warren
I am sure you will be blessed tremendously.
Btw, I am not a book person and reading was NEVER my hobby.  I rarely buy myself a book which explains how this book was a gift from my CG E46 and it is through this book that I learned so much about my life and His plans.  The best part is I can even have bible study now from my cell leader, Shirley despite her busy schedule.

Wow! You see how wonderful God's plan is? 

Words are useless, believes are pointless if you don't practice them through actions.
I am a sinner, I am not and never will be perfect, but since I now know that the purpose of my life, I will definitely make use of my body on earth to worship You.

Thank You Father for EVERYTHING,
Amen.