after a long break of examinations and examinations, we are finally back together in our JC Cluster prayer meeting on monday (24/10/05) at Cecilia's house.

what marks the difference between this prayer meeting and the previous ones that we had is that we included games and praise this time round.actually, JC Cluster is not just filled with muggers and more muggers, but we are a people that know how to spell F-U-N, that can be exciting, and most importantly, that are revelent to the society we live in.

before we actually start praying, perez also shared a word with all of us.

Isaiah 56:7
Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer.Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.

we are to be called a HOUSE OF PRAYER, to be prayful, to be praying every moment. praise is good, worship is good, but it is never a substitute for prayer. even in the Bible, we never hear of being a house of praise, or even a house of worship. yet in the verse that we just read, we are all called to be a house of prayer. let us all today, decide in our heart, that we would be prayer warriors.

DISCOURAGEMENT
yes, examinations are just over, but perhaps some of us are really discourage by our own performance, yet, God is the strength of our heart. our situation and and circumatances may fail us, but God will not.

Revelation 1:8
"I am the the Alpha and the Omega, the Begining and the End," says the Lord,"who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

He is the Begining and the End. whatever work God has started out in our lives, He will be faithful to end it well.

through all these tribulation, through these difficult times, we will become stronger.

PRAYER - OUR FOUNDATION
in every building that we see, the most important part of it is always the foundation. in our christian walk, we also need to build a strong foundation, a strong foundation in Jesus Christ, which can be built through prayer.

Matthew 13:20-21
"But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles."

like the word that perez shared, we should make prayer a part of our lifestyle, enjoy praying, love God, hunger for the presence of God, and be a prayer warrior in the house of God.and as we see in Matthew 13;20-21, a strong foundation in our christian walk will bring us through the different tribulations we face in our life.

INTERCESSION
we have learnt during one of the cell group meeting that there are 5 different kinds of tongues-edification, praise, intercession, spiritual warfare, and exhortation. the different kinds of tongues is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and it should not be take for granted. we will lose what we take for granted.

when we pray in tongues to interceed, it is not necessary that we scream or to shout all the times. there is no need for that at all. in a prayer meeting, we shouldnt be trying to outshout each other, even drowning out the leader.

POTTER-CLAY
what is the season that we are living in right now? it is a time of great spiritual warfare, time of war against the devil. even as a church, we are moving on to the next level, and there are bound to be pressure that we will encounter. yet, remember that gold is only purify under fire. the purest gold is only produced under the toughest pressure. instead of giving into pressure, let's be strong to go through the pressure.

in the mist, michelle saw a vision of a dough. what is dough for? it is to be moulded again and again, before it can be used. we all need to be like dough, to be moulded by God. and all these moulded will not be wasted, it is for purification.

Ezekiel 36:26-27
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgement and do them."

God wants to take away our heart of stone, one that is cold and harden and to give us a heart of flesh, a heart that can be moulded by God.

God is the potter and we are the clay. God mould us, to make us to who He wants us to be. sometimes, the Potter places His clay on the shelves for a long long time, yet, let's always remain a positive attitude while being on the shelves. the days on the shelves are really training days, days of training tobe a better clay.

Isaiah 28:28
Bread flour must be ground; Therefore he does not thresh it forever, Break it with his cartwheel, Or crush it with his horsemen.

we will not always be place on the shelf. when the time is right, God will take us out. let's really trust in God's timing, and the plans He have for us.

GIVING THANKS
1 Thessalonians 5:18
in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

let's always have the attitude of giving thanks to God, for that is the will of God in our lives.

perez shared about something he read on a book. there is the particular person, when he prays for something, he only pray for it once, and from the time of pray to the time of promise, he will give thanks for the prayer already answered. this man have the confidence that God will answer his prayer.

when we pray, let's envision our prayer coming to pass. the Bible also says that when we can see it, we can have it.

FAITH
James 2:20-22
But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

many times we would hear of faith messages, and we would have faith in our heart. but let us not just stop at the stage of being inspired, but to go on to let our faith be demostrated by the works that we do. as we have seen, faith without works is dead.

sometimes, in fact, all the times, when God calls us to do something, it would be beyond ourselves, it would be almost impossible for us to bear. yet, when God calls us to something, He will surely provided us with what we need to overcome it. so let's have faith to trust God, and be swift to say "YES" to what God has called us to, just as how swift Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac.

indeed, every prayer meeting we had is yet another time for us to be refreshed.