Placing Yourself Under the Right Authority

Over the last nine months, God has been teaching me about the importance of placing myself under the right authority in all areas of my life - one where the authority is under Him alone. This included my employer, church leadership and my life partner. I realised that I needed to make significant changes in my life and to stand up against the things that did not submit to the full authority of God. 

In John Eldredge's book, Walking with God, he mentioned that “When you place yourself under a church (by joining it), or under a company (by taking employment there), you come under their spiritual authority. This can be good or it can be bad. It depends on what the leaders choose to let in, spiritually speaking."

This was something that I had to take seriously. There were heart issues that I had to deal with like forgiveness, which ended the flashbacks that were taunting me and the darts that I was mentally firing away every time when I thought about a situation. I found my peace in the following Bible passage:

Ephesians 1:9-11 - ⁹ God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. ¹⁰ And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.¹¹ Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

Finally, this song sums this post nicely: 

In your everlasting arms, all the pieces of my life, from beginning to the end, I can trust you. In your never failing love, You work everything for good. God whatever comes my way, I will trust you ♪  - Sovereign by Chris Tomlin 

A Letter to a University Leaver

Dear University Leaver, 

As you leave your study world behind you, you may feel even more uncertain about the direction that your life is heading. You may secure a job for the year to come or you may go through several jobs before you find your place. No matter which situation you find yourself in, God has mapped out the steps that He wants you to take, to be where you are supposed to be. 

There may be many days of waiting, that may leave you feeling frustrated, forgotten or hopeless, but in the silence, God has you still in mind. Some things may not work out as you had hoped for because God already knew what was yet to come.  The path that God leads you on is necessary, to grow your faith and dependence on Him, to learn to be patient and to learn to purposefully live peacefully despite the worries that come in this life.

Sometimes you will have to make changes that are uncomfortable but necessary. You may not see it in the short-term but you will find out later down the track. When the Word of God is all that you have to believe in, claim every word upon your life. Despite what others say about you or your circumstance, you have a Heavenly Father who knows what is best. Trust in your God, who promised to look after you when you made a choice to become His child. He will never leave you or forsake you. His ways and timing are perfect, always. 

Love,

Jo

Sharing at O2 Live: Resurrection Wednesday

I knew that it was a matter of time before I would find myself standing on stage in front of hundreds of people. For the past few years, the Holy Spirit had been planting ideas/pictures of me doing so and earlier this year, a friend had prophesied saying that she could see me sharing my testimony/preaching on stage. When Josiah asked me last week, I knew that it was time. 

Here is a copy of what I shared. 

If you have read Chronicles, there are hundreds of names listed. However in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, there was more than just a name. It says...

^"9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” ¹⁰ Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request."

Here are a few of my thoughts about these verses. 

1) God blesses you when you put Him first in all that you do

Jabez means pain but he did not want to live up to his name. He prayed a bold prayer despite what his circumstances were. God wants you to do the same, to pray boldly, despite what your circumstances are or what people are saying about you. For me, it's about finding a job in what is considered to be a tight job market at the moment. I know that God does not work around our economy but it is through His perfect timing that I will get the right job. 

What is it for you? Are you struggling at university? Does a loved one have cancer? Is a friend doing drugs? Have you been in a relationship that has gone wrong? 

2) God wants to enlarge your territory

I believe that God is wanting to enlarge your territory in the influence that you have in the people around you and in the places that He wants to take you. This influence stems out from your relationship with God and will flow through everything that you do. Where you are right now is only the beginning. Where Oxygen is right now is only the beginning. We've already seen amazing things take place here but God is wanting to do so much more. 

I see a generation that is strong in their faith despite what pop culture tells them. I see a generation who knows their value in Christ because of a loving Saviour. I see emotional, spiritual and physical healing take place because of a powerful God. What are you seeing? What are you expecting? What are you believing? 

3) God will protect you when you participate in His work and calling for your life

When God expands your territory, the enemy will do everything that he can to instill fear, doubt and insecurity in you. No matter what or where God is calling us to, He will be with us every step of the way. We must fight these attacks with the Word of God. 

Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

2 Timothy 1:7 - "For God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind."

Psalm 23:4 - "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and staff, they comfort me." 

When you submit your thoughts to God, He will look after you. 

EMANATE

"Outsourced from God, out growing our old self, out there making disciples"

Emanate started with two coaches, seven leaders spread over three lifegroups, who were a part of a greater community called Oxygen at CityLife Church in Melbourne. Over the past two years, we have seen lives changed and transformed by God, we have seen people step out of their comfort zones and into their callings and we have seen a community that really cares for one another and those beyond our everyday worlds. 

For me, God's passion for the world has become my passion in seeing individuals come to know such a personal and loving God, one who made them in His image and who loves and values them so much by always wanting the best for them in every circumstance. His presence truly sets people free, whichever stage in life they are at. 

I continue to learn about what it means to do ministry through partnership with the Holy Spirit, by drawing on His love, strength and wisdom. In this He has given me the courage and boldness to do things that I would've never seen myself doing on my own. Most of all, God has placed certain people in my life, to encourage me and to see me grow in order that I may have the same effect on those in my circles of influence. Life was never meant to be done alone and I pray that those who come into contact with Emanate will feel loved, cared for and encouraged in all that God has called them to do and be for His glory. 

Fruit of the Spirit

I've been going through the book "Stress Point" by Sarah Francis Martin and today's chapter was about using the fruit of the Spirit as a guideline for setting boundaries in our lives. 

Galations 5:22-23 - ^"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"

She mentions that "when we are doing anything in life that keeps us from living out the fruit of the Spirit, God is displeased."  

What does this look like in areas such as eating, drinking, working, exercising, shopping and in our conversations with our friends? 

For me, it was staying in a job role that I no longer had peace about, which resulted in a lack of joy. To leave something that I had become so familiar with and the people who became my family during my working life was very hard to let go initially. However, I am slowly learning that this loss is nothing in comparison to the greater plans that God has for me ahead. In order for me to move forward into something new, I needed to let go first. 

"God often waits for us to step out in faith - to begin moving without specific direction - before He provides the destination." - Tyler Braun

Guide Dogs Victoria

It has been almost a year since a group of my friends decided to chip into my co-sponsorship of the the N litter below for my birthday present. Amazingly, it was the exact amount that I needed to pay the yearly amount up front. Since then, Al and I have been to the N Litter's Graduation Day and the D Litter's Orientation Day. It was really good to be involved in the community by seeing these pups grow up, get trained and then help those who are visually impaired. Hearing the stories were very encouraging. Some of these pups have even gone overseas and hence they could not make it to their Graduation! Who knew that these pups would live such purposeful lives - ones that make a difference in an individual's life on a daily basis. 

The N Litter - Nala, Navada, Nadira, Nero, Nina, Nelson, Nola

N Litter's Graduation Day

D Litter - Puppies from another mother

Back to the Cross

"Living He loved me, dying He saved me

And buried He carried my sins far away

Rising He justified freely forever

One day He's coming, oh, glorious day, oh, glorious day"

♥ Glorious Day by Casting Crowns ♥


"What am I bringing? What are we bringing wherever we go? Do we show people God and His love and passion or something else?"
~ J.Conner ~

The Cross Should Affect You:

✝ In the way that you view yourself

✝ In the way that you treat other people

✝ In the way that you live your life

Persevering in Hard Times

Not too long ago, I was having troubles at work, which would leave me feeling quite frustrated. I didn't know what I had done wrong during the day to leave me with the outcome of an unbalanced cash drawer at the end of it. I wanted God to get me out of this job so I asked Him to give me a new job, one that was moulded more for me. However, my answer came in more rejection emails. This Bible passage was so applicable to what I was going through at the time. 

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 - "8Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. ⁹Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.¹⁰ That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

A couple of weeks later, one of the staff from the other branch came as a customer to the branch that I happened to be working at that day. She said, "Joanne, I didn't know that you are now working here. I've been wanting to tell you that we found the money deeper down in the cash drawer so it wasn't your fault." I was so relieved that I didn't have that hanging over me anymore. No doubt she was definitely God sent. 

In the footnotes of my Bible, I read the following quote. "If we turn to God, pray, remember His promises, and trust Him, we will find His grace sufficient for our needs. The Lord may not do what we ask, when we want it, but He will do what needs to be done and help us glorify His name."

From all of this, I've learnt that if I cover every shift in prayer, God is in the good and the bad but most of all that He's got it all covered no matter the outcome. I learnt that perseverance leads to seeing positive results. No matter how far our answers may seem, God doesn't work by our time. Weeks, months or years even is nothing in the context of eternity. Most of all, I've learnt that it's not about asking the question "When will I get out of this?" but "What can I learn from this?" 

For Such a Time as This

After listening to John Maxwell at the Hillsong Conference, I've been motivated and inspired to do some character studies as a part of my Bible reading plan. The first character whom I have just completed is Esther. 

The following verse caused a perspective mind shift on how I saw myself in various roles when I personalised the verse.              

                  

Esther 4:14 (NLT) - "Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" Instead of queen, I inserted service consultant, sister, friend, coach, mentor and thought, what were the implications of my roles? The thought of God specifically placing me in these roles for a reason and in some instances for a specific season just blew my mind. Meditating on this verse stops me from thinking about the ideals and helps me to focus on where He has placed me and to be faithful with what He has given me. It continues to give me fresh perspective when things get tough and encourages me to find renewed purpose and hope in what looks purposeless or hopeless. 

Furthermore, in the NKJV, it says this - "Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" God has chosen each of us to be a part of His kingdom at this point in time, no earlier, no later. Everyone has a different story and has a special part to play. I can't imagine what God has in store for us in these exciting times ahead. Although the road may seem hazy, may God give us the spiritual eyes to see what He desires of us in the midst of Satan trying to make us lose focus through uncertainty, fear, doubt or insecurity. 

It's All God's

I am reminded that everything that I have belongs to God - my finances, time, giftings, possessions. I've been thinking about the implications of this reminder. If God requests for ten percent of my salary to go back into church, then it shall be done because that is what God desires for His finances. I know that in the past, when I haven't had much, ten percent felt like a huge chunk. But then again, how many times have I spent money on things that don't have eternal value or were just for temporary satisfaction? It's the same in regards to my time. What is the ratio that I spend on mindless activities compared to activities that last for eternity? I am actually borrowing what is God's in order for "His kingdom to come, His will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven." In this I am comforted that if I need something or if I lose something that is of importance, that God has already got it covered. I am also constantly encouraged by Luke 16:10 - “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities."

God in Everyday Life

I love this space that God has given me. I've been actively seeking God on a day to day basis; in the events that happen, in the people that I meet, in my job, in life. When I was taking the train home on Thursday, an elderly man saw another passenger and said to him, "When I saw you, I knew that I was on the right train." I think that is how God works with many of us. Some people may get huge revelations about where they're heading in life. For others like myself, God is in the little things. He drops us hints, a sign or a thought to guide or affirm us in the direction that we're heading. However we have to look out for them, something that I often forget to do, especially when I'm worried or frustrated. Many times we ask and wait for God to give us in your face guidance about where we should go. But He's not like that. His Spirit is gentle and if we just quietened our own spirits, then maybe we'd just be able to hear or see Him a little clearer. I loved what Josiah Connor preached last Wednesday at Oxygen Live about how "the story that we see ourselves is what we live" and it's about us aligning with God's story and not about trying to get God to align with ours. I've also been inspired by Ken Duncan's story tonight at church. He showed us these amazing photos that he took. What stood out for me tonight was about how awesome and real God is, whose existence is evident in all of creation and how our hope should only be placed in Him. In this, our fears and worries will seem very small when we believe that our God is in complete control. By having that assurance, He will give us that perfect peace that only He can provide. A final challenging thought that Ken mentioned was about putting ourselves in a position where we need a miracle in order to see one and about how God doesn't work around our capacity but His. Here's one of my favourite Ken Duncan photographs! 

Leading Yourself

I've finally found time to post the following words that I had shared with my Network, now known as EMANATE at our gathering last month. I am absolutely excited about where God is taking us in this new season as we look forward to the new things that He has in store for us. 

A question that I've been thinking about recently is "Who, or what is leading you?" 

A natural instinct that we all have is to follow and rely on someone, whether it is a friend, a partner, a sibling, a parent, or a leader. Then there are also factors such as fear, pride, sin and our past that also affect the decisions that we make in life. However, what if that person wasn't around anymore? Would you still be able to function on your own? What if a certain factor did not have a stronghold over your life - how much further would you be? There will be decisions that we will have to make on our own, in order to grow in life and to follow God's calling for our lives. 

It takes personal leadership and initiative to be good at an instrument or sport, in finishing your university course, in finding a job, in keeping healthy friendships and relationships and in being a passionate follower of Christ, through your personal walk with Him. Also, in order to lead others, whether it be a small or large capacity, we need to know how to lead ourselves first. I'm a strong believer in the following quote: "Give a person fish and you feed them for a day. Teach a person how to fish and you feed them for a lifetime." I think that we not only need to learn how to lead ourselves but we need to teach others what it means to take leadership of their own lives as well.

How you lead your life will affect your future, both in the short and long term. Therefore, it is important that we all learn to lead ourselves in our attitudes, in our giftings, in our decisions and in our circles of influence, no matter how you feel, no matter what other people say and no matter the circumstance. 

I'm going to wrap this up with the lyrics of a Switchfoot song: "This is your life, are you who you want to be? This is your life, is it everything that you dreamed that it would be when the world was younger, and you had everything to lose?" 

My Baking Expedition

This past month I've been trying out new recipes that go beyond my banana cake, and Al's and my famous choc chip cookies. I discovered that I can spend up to a day baking without getting sick of it. This has definitely been made easier with my 21st gifts of a hand mixer and the Choc recipe book so thanks guys!!! 

Vienna Jam Fingers

Ladies Kisses

Bitter Choc Mint Tart

Jam Drops

Choc Mint Cookies

A Ride Into the Unknown

Another month has almost passed and I am still in the same period of uncertainty.. not knowing where I'm heading job wise / career wise. Yes, I've specialised in two majors for my uni course but it's still so broad within itself about what I can do, where I should go and how I can use the knowledge and experiences that I have gained. Now I am just waiting on God to open that right door. It's times like these where there may not seem to be much hope but right from the very Word of God.  Two verses come to mind. 

Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Proverbs 16:9 - "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps."

So after 25 job applications, 7 interviews / assessment centres and coming a close second for 2 jobs, as frustrating as it has been, I am now at a place where I can acknowledge that I have been blessed to have had all of that practice in such a short amount of time, ready to claim the future job that God has already planned for me. 

For those who are in the process of looking for jobs, a few things that I've learnt in terms of interview practice is:

1) Be confident in who you are and what you can do

- Confidence comes from practice and the constructive feedback that you get. 

- I used to hate talking about myself but Mum used to tell me, "An interview is not the time to be modest."

- I learnt that the content that I shared could be the very thing that puts me ahead of another candidate.

2) Be enthusiastic about the job

- No matter what preference / preconceived thoughts you have for a certain job or company, talk as if this is the only job that you want. Who knows, it could be a stepping stone to something greater! 

3) Protect yourself

- Do what is best for you and always have a backup plan. 

All the best and I can't wait to hear success stories / testimonies in the near future!

Devo: Temporary or Eternal Value?

In the past couple of weeks, I've been hearing stories about how major, life changing decisions were made in certain individuals' hospital beds, which had led them to start up a non-for-profit (NFP) organisation or church. Throughout the years, God has been intercepting with our values at various points in our lives but He still continues to remind us of two fundamental values that we need to strive to keep consistently in our daily life. That is, that "life is about Him and about people" and that it is not all about wealth, fame, popularity and all of the other treasures on earth that we tend to try and store for ourselves. Sometimes we lose focus of these values because of factors such as busyness or social influence. Other times, we may find ourselves so task focused that we forget about the people around us. In this, I've been reminded of the following verse. 2 Corinthians 4:18 - "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Some questions that I continue to ask myself are: 

• Is what I am doing, including daily tasks, of temporary or eternal value?
• Are my actions aligned with my so called priorities?
• What is it that I want to have accomplished before my time here on earth is over?

Whether our calling is to ministry through a church or NFP organisation or other places that we spend majority of our time at such as work, university or sporting clubs, I encourage you to take some time out of your day to talk to someone, to have a meal or even to act in the simplest way to show that you actually care. One small action could lead to something that lasts forever, in your life and in the life of another. 

JoAl's 1st Year and 1st Month

JoAl's 1st Year and 1st Month is today. I had only seen Al for two days inbetween our overseas holidays in the past month. He brought this necklace back home for me. =) If we were to write about everything that has happened in the past year or so, it would fill up a whole journal (you just have to see mine to know =P). In order for people to understand who someone is, they need to know one's past. Since only a few of you have heard the whole story of how we got together and what we've been through and seeing that every relationship is different and goes through a different journey with a different set of challenges, here's a summary of what God has been doing in our lives over the past year and a bit.

Getting into a relationship affects you in every way- emotionally, spiritually and physically. A few months before I told Al, "Yes, I want to do life with you," the Holy Spirit told me that a wrong relationship will lead to the downfall of my leadership and will be a stumbling block in my life. Hence, that was the story of why Al had to wait six weeks for my answer because I was making sure that it was right from all perspectives. First of all, I wanted to make sure that I knew what I was getting myself into/expectations that would be placed on me. I spent time praying, reading up on Catholicism and getting godly counsel as this decision will not only affect me but those around me, especially those who I am looking after. Secondly, I wanted to know that God was completely supportive of this, otherwise it will not work and just have drastic consequences. Thirdly, I wanted to get my parents' approval and support. Finally, I wanted to know that Al and I had the support that we required as well as people to learn from hence why we chose to have a couple mentor as well as to surround ourselves with other couples to share and do life with.

If there is such thing as a honeymoon period for a relationship, I don't think that Al and I really had one. =P Right after we became official, we were already fighting spiritual warfare when I was away in Malaysia. Then when I came back home, we were tackling the hard theology issues that we had started talking about in the months leading to our official status and getting ridiculed for the decisions that we were making in our relationship in terms of things such as boundaries and mentoring.

Almost every month, I'd ask God for a sign to make sure that we're on track and He would give it to me every time without fail- whether it's a Bible scripture, to an event that happened around our anniversary date, to a devotional that I've read, to Al having similar thoughts as me, to a song that I've heard. I even had people telling me that a certain event/happening must be such a God moment even though I didn't think of it at the time. This sure was evidence that God was actively working in our lives.

Yes, we have our differences but at the same time I can see God aligning our thoughts, goals and attitudes as we continue to look to Him individually and as a couple in order to be able to continue on with a relationship that glorifies Him. If we were to be honest, our relationship would not have lasted this long if it wasn't for Him as He was and continues to still be the only certain answer for us especially in the hard times. Although there were times where I felt like giving up because I or Al did not have an answer and things got a bit much, deep down, I still held to the belief that there was a bigger God who already has everything all planned out and we just have to follow His leading through faith steps. 


I encourage those of you who are already in a relationship/going to be in one in the future to continue to focus on God and not on  the challenges around you. Trying to change someone to be your ideal match or trying to make things work in our own human knowledge and strength is just going to make things very messy.

Reaching Goals and More

Here is a sneak peak into my "100 Things That I Must Do In This Life" list that I've started and added to since the middle of high school. These have been labelled under headings such as Personal, Spiritual Growth, Personal Achievements, Social, Academic, Church, Work, Charity/Missions and Activities. 

In the past year or so, I managed to complete a few of my long term goals however I sure did not expect to reach some of them so soon. I guess that God had His own way of doing things where His thoughts and ways were surely far greater than mine and will still continue to be as I look forward to the hope filled future that He has planned for me. I will state five goals here in sequence of completion. 

1. To put God and expanding His Kingdom as my top priority.  √
2. To Lead in Oxygen. √
3. To only date a guy when it's right from all perspectives. √
4. To Coach in Oxygen. √
5. To get a distinction average for my Business (HR/Law) course. √

To continue on, 10 of my current/future goals are 

1. To love and serve God wholeheartedly.
2. To find a job that I love.
3. To go on a missions trip to Indonesia.
4. To have a relationship with Al that is completely God centered.
5. To buy my own house and then spend time making it into exactly what God wants.
6. To travel to all of the 7 wonders of the world.
7. To get involved in jail ministry. 
8. To open a youth centre/home/soup kitchen. 
9. To learn to speak a foreign language.
   
10. To learn to keep a balance in life.

Hopefully, this post has got you thinking about your own goals for your life if you haven't thought about them recently and yes, feel free to share yours too! Happy goal setting!

Something New!

Hey Wonderful Person! 

Welcome to my Blog! So, I know that many of you can't get off your computers because of  Facebook, MSN, You Tube, gaming, uni assignments, work etc so I thought, how about I make a blog that is interactive- one where you're not just reading about me all the time but one where you can share your own thoughts, opinions and experiences with me and with those who are following this blog. Yes, so please comment as you please. You can do this publicly or privately. Also, if you still want these posts sent to your email, all you have to do is 1) Click "Follow" using an email account 2) Go to the link at the bottom and click "Subscribe by email."

If you have a question or passion for a certain cause or issue and you would like to write a piece for this blog, just email me your piece and I shall post it up for you after I've screened it. =P  

Have an awesome 2011 as you step into a new beginning and into new things!!! 

Jo