Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Wedding bells are ringing!

bro edmund
the bottom one is my son.
my son, so cute right
he loves me, he loves me not.
stick out your tongue with daddy.
the ceremony!
jerb and jared
look so studious right?
so pretty
my fav nicole

i must say i had a great day at jerb's wedding super glad that i attended it.




oh my it was a great eye-opener and not the usual chinese wedding that i go to.
haha i took pics with my fav frenz, and the pics of jerb and jared,
haha it was so fun and my future son wanted to take a pics with me...
so cute right?
luvre that boy...
haha though he's not really my son,
but don't he just look like mine....
tsk tsk
bettter not say too much, if his mums reads this, i m srewed.
hejir going off to get married.
haha opps jokes again











my fellow ex"usher
triple buds

Life couple with frenz is a bliss



the gangs!


stop and stare

let's brainstorm a plan to take over the world with luvre.

last but not least check this out.

can you see the bros in action
haha haven been posting much is because i been really busy this days.

from wedding to army test, to work and bs with bernice.



haha let's see had a great dinner event with a bunch of great frenz last wk.

haha let's see the pics.

and oh yeah i change jobs from office job to retail again,

as enlistment appears sooner and sooner,

i m getting freak out.

i cant take it,

not the fear of going in,but not knowing when i exactly go in is killing me slowly.

oh man i like praying that i go in later,

no way i m going to spend a the day after my birthday in camp nor reporting for army.

yeap so life great other than that stupid enlistment thingy.....

but greater is he who is in me, than he who's in the camp.

muhahahahaahahahahaaha

what a joke to make!

alright salute out,

herjir







Thursday, May 15, 2008

To a dear friend of mine....

This is dedicated to my dear friend,
I first knew her at a Fast food joint.

we had our share of fun, joy and laughter.
we went tonning after tonning and games after games.
we even had the greatest celebration during Cny.
so there it was , one of the greatest things anyone can ask for.



friends,friends,friends,friends,friends,friends,



they are so plenty, yet so few are true.
they are seemingly insignificant,even if they were to disappeared.
life still goes on, but yet they can be the greatest influences in each and
everyone of our lives.

a great man once said,
ahhh, oh great friend of mine,
how true will you be?

well when the time comes,
we all shall know.

i once treated her as my best frenz even was willing to go all out of my way just to
see her happy.
i really treasure those times,For me to go out all and do things for ppl
is a rarity.(and i do mean go ALL OUT!)like anything, anytime.(that's the code)
but i would only save it for those worthy of my sacrifice.

and yet it all started to change,
how? i don know
when? i cant really say.
but all i knew was
when circumstances change, she decided to flow with it.

I was sad, but all i could do is to quietly accept it,and move on
i once heard this phrase, life waits for no man.maybe it was this words that
made me move on, no matter how painful it would be.
i would tell myself just move on,some would ask me.
why?maybe its cause i didn't want to spoil the chances for me
that maybe i could make another best friend,
well that's until she decided to return to that relationship.

but i was quite sorely wrong, as you see
every relationship is quite unique in itself,
just like a finger print,

sure you might say
it all the same,boyfriends are boyfriends
lover are just lover.
but how many of you would know that
its because we are all unique in ourselves
that's why we will react and relate differently.

To Tell you the truth, until now
i never did met someone quite like her,
and that's the special thing about life,
no experience will ever come out quite the same way.
which is probably why i really would treasure everything that comes by my way.

but the good thing is everything works in for the goodness of god,
and i just wanna thank him for really bringing restoration and repairation of
that relationship, he's our jehova rapha.

hahaha... (wiping tears away)
To my dear frenz if you are reading this right now..
know that on the very day, i contacted you again.
i've already thought it through.
know this that even if you felt bad or sad, don be! cause life's to wasted to have broken friendship.
know that i've forgotten everything and i'm waiting for us to start afresh
if you are willing and ready.

cause no matter what happens, we all gotten move on yea? :-)

hejir, wehc

Monday, April 21, 2008

A day a work



this is the silly version

hi hi this is me while at work today, i was so bored that i took my own pictures for fun,
HAH anyway i was told that our company was having a pay revise.......
LIKE oh my DAYS. . . . . . .

when i first heard it from my head, i was like oh thank you,
(act cool)
than i was like wtf.(not to be mixed up with the bad word,its what the fish.)

than i was like YES yes yes. oh my
i can hardly keep my joy in.
i felt like shouting god i love you, and jump over the fence.
and yes literally i mean.



yes i look more serious. cause got boss infront.:P


haha anyway so yeap after my math, i can safely say i'll have 20% increment.

oh god i love you so much, i cant say enough to express my love, gratefulness and thanks

oh well i shall do it with actions, haha we shall see.

Photos

ok i say this is vanity, but hell who cares
that's what a camera is for.
(notice WQ in the background haha, he was looking emo.jokes)

but i must say this two guys are really suave, so handsome with the cool factor.


i say you guys all stoned.


they both thought to themselves,why not stoned while nothing to do.

she stoning at the phone.



we had such a great day today, so much fun.
and taking pics,
oh yes there thats looking of branded stuff suggested by alfred.
we say why must.
he said why not.
haha sound like OCBC banks advertistment.
oh well all ended well, we enjoy our dinner and WQ slept like one of the blangaladse... . . . . .
haha kudo to you who won the acting contest.
haha ok ok don crap le.
good nights.
shall post more soon.
so this blog wont die.:P
(p.s i really hope it does)

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Life is like that.

Training Camp

The present life is a training camp for kings and priests in God's Kingdom. A soldier of God needs to be trained and tested before going into battle. To us, religion is not a hobby! God is not there to always make our life more comfortable. He stretches our abilities and capacity for an end-time purpose.

If we do our part, Christ will say to us, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34).

The following story by an unknown author sums this all up. It's excerpted from www.retirementwithapurpose.com/teacup.html and is probably based on Jeremiah 18:2-6 and Isaiah 29:16.

The Teacup

There is a story of a couple who went to England to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.

They both liked antiques and pottery—especially teacups. Spotting an exceptional cup in one shop, they asked, "May we see that? We've never seen a cup quite so beautiful."

As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke, "You don't understand," it said. "I have not always been a teacup. There was a time when I was just a lump of red clay.
My master took me and rolled me, pounded and patted me over and over, and I yelled out, 'Don't do that! I don't like it! Let me alone!' But he only smiled, and gently said, 'Not yet!'

"Then WHAM! I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. 'Stop it! I'm getting so dizzy! I'm going to be sick!' I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, quietly, 'Not yet.'

"He spun me and poked and prodded and bent me out of shape to suit himself and then… he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked and pounded at the door. 'Help! Get me out of here!' I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head from side to side, 'Not yet.'

"When I thought I couldn't bear it another minute, the door opened. He carefully took me out and put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. Oh, that felt so good! 'Ah, this is much better,' I thought.

"But, after I cooled, he picked me up and he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Oh, please stop it. Stop it!' I cried. He only shook his head and said, 'Not yet!'

"Then suddenly he put me back in to the oven. Only it was not like the first one. This was twice as hot, and I just knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. I was convinced I would never make it. I was ready to give up…

"Just then the door opened and he took me out and again placed me on the shelf, where I cooled and waited and waited, wondering, 'What's he going to do to me next?'

"An hour later, he handed me a mirror and said, 'Look at yourself.'

"And I did. I said, 'That's not me. That couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful!'

"Quietly he spoke, 'I know it hurt to be rolled and pounded and patted, but had I just left you alone, you'd have dried up.

"'I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled.

"'I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked.

"'I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any color in your life. If I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't have survived for long because the hardness would not have held.

"'Now you are a finished product. Now you are what I had in mind when I first began with you.'"

The moral of the story is this:
God knows what He's doing in each of us. He is the potter and we are His clay. He will mold us and shape us and expose us to just enough pressures of just the right kinds that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing and perfect will. UN


this is an unfinished article.
plz do visit back for the updated one.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Today was so cool!

Today was the coolest day, i mean
what more can i ask for .

first Priscilla and me went to orchard than we went shopping at DFS than far east.
we had bubble tea and old chang kee.

totally horsesome(awesome)
than we went to the heeren(to change my bag) opp :P
and lastly headed to PS.
met up with Audrey and went to watch a movie.

was supposed to had daryl's company but he kinda got a last min thingy so yeap.
three of us watch "Alvin and the chipmunks".

Soooooooooooooooooo cute!
and i mean super duper cute like squirrels and hamsters added altogether.

man than we headed on to crown hotel for Starbucks, so refreshing and relaxing at the same time.
(but i do realised we are spending a great deal of time at SB this days.)
haha well what can i say
discount are a killer!

alas i really spent my offs days wisely and chilly.
hahs, well that's all.
so tired but nevertheless happy.
so happy that i spend my day off with them.

today's a really short post huh?
well that's because I've got work tmr.
thinking of dozing off without bathing though.
haha jokes jokes.

(priscillia yap: not to be confused with woo.)
well there's still alot on my mind, shall finish them up tmr than.

see ya
ciao,chipmunks
luv ya... ... .. .. =)

Thursday, December 6, 2007

He's Never Late!

He's never late.
seriously!!

I meant God, he's always on time.
What made me said that?

Why ?
It was because I've always wanted to get a mp3 and bag, but i always had a prior financial commitment either to my bills or mom and yes plus the church.(can't forget about God now can I)

So i was very sianz. always wanted to hear songs on the bus or Mrt, but always ended up reading up
some materials or doing nothing.(which can be quite boring for long rides if you guys know what i mean)

And well its because, its been quite some time since i bought a new bag and mp3(after my lasts one was gone, to where, Don really know:P tickles.)

And finally i got it today,was really excited and nervous thinking what should i do
or where should i shop to take a look first.
But nevertheless i was extremely elated and overjoyed.

Well not just that, i got a new bag also.

In the very beginning, i do not see a need for a bag for myself after school days i mean.
But because recently things have change, i find myself working and travelling to and fro.
which is why i might need a bag to stuffed different things i need for different times.
first-worked
second-church
third-beaches
fourth-chilling out(eg: shopping, movie and etc)

which is why a bag might come into convenience at this time.
Heeee God really bless me all this just in time.=)

Well for bag details.
Its from new urban male.
just in case you are wondering why there?

Well it has been a long and hard decision for me personally.
As its quite a hefty price to pay compare to my normal school bags.tsk tsk
But its just because it has a shoe compartment and of course many other benefits which i shall not disclose here.
Just in case some people get green.
Well some one actually suggested me to buy crumbler.
But i feel that its too plain and now that many people have it, its not really that fun to carry around anymore.:X
But more importantly its because i'll be visiting the beaches in sentosa pretty soon after the rainy season is over.
And i can't bring a crumbler to the beach yeah?
i would really prefer to carry a bag design such as NUM to there instead.
Anyway its black so doesn't really matter to me if it gets dirty.:>

haha
Back to my point, i really believe that all good things come to those who wait.
There was many times in my life that i felt i deserve more and really
blame God for his untimely blessing.
And i was like why can't i have that too?
It could be as simple as a shirt or as big as a relationship.
Make no mistake.
I'm also human, made of flesh and blood just like anyone of you.

But as time goes by, I have learned that God has a plan and timing for everything.
That includes blessings and cursed.
if you think that you are not punished straight away after you commit a sin.
You are getting away or you think its okay God won't curse you.
You are so wrong, its only when will you get it?

For me i prefer the lesson be learn quick and now.
maybe that's why i always suffer the after effect of everything.
That's for cursing as for blessings, i prefer a long a huge stored up one and
added together in one thick shot, than in an twinkling of an eye be blessed upon me.
maybe God has seen my thoughts and has since been following according to a pattern.
But just as well, For he knows mine thoughts and my ways, even as i plan my ways he will
dictate my steps.

So you see God even does personalised services."laughs"
haha
oh well until next time
you guys stay tune yea? =)

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Dear friends,

Solomon asked and received, but he did not always use the gift God gave him…
Clyde and Dee Kilough

Ask and You Shall Receive
"Before we acquire great power, we must acquire wisdom to use it well," said Ralph Waldo Emerson. When Solomon became king, he was humble and unsure of himself. He didn't ask God for riches and great wealth but for wisdom. "Give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" (1 Kings 3:9). Solomon knew the magnitude of the job that God had given him and knew he needed help from God. We also need God's help!

"The LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:6). Ask God daily for wisdom. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5).

that's so true!
maybe i must consistently pray and ask
God for his almighty wisdom, knowledge and most of all
The favour of all man.

shalom
Today @ This is the way...


Hi! The sword of the Spirit is an essential part of our spiritual armor.
Clyde and Dee Kilough

En Garde!

While traveling to France, a young woman was sitting on a bench with her handbag on the ground next to her. The bag was snatched by a cunning thief, who caught her off guard. She lost her passport and all the personal items that were in the bag. She learned a valuable lesson to never let her guard down.


Our spiritual life is much like that. Peter told us to beware of Satan because he "walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). Just like the thief who stole the bag, Satan tries to catch us off guard. Paul advised us to put on the armor God provides (Ephesians 6:10-11). With the whole armor God gives, you will be able to successfully stand up against all the strategies and the deceits of the devil.
We are in a spiritual war and must wear the full armor of God at all times, never letting down our guard.

well, than i must continue to hold my faith
and when things fails as they always will,
i shall not quit, for its when I'm at the nearest
I'm always hit.
=)

i received a MSG similar to this too!
it says the" lord your god has send you in
to establish his covenant.
so that you and your family may dwell in it forever"

i shall serve you with all my heart and mind!
amen

They Want To Be A Rise up/Step up!!!

Is that a Joke?

Who do i mean they?

i mean those people at my work place, they want it.
I can see it
they tell people they can do it...

but when i see them doing their work, it seems they only want to have fun and slack around.
doing nothing and just keep thinking about the pay(long story).

I mean there's no wrong in working and having fun at the same time, but for them they talk about things that are not relating to work and for a bloody long time if i might add.

To them its not about the work, customers or even the serving attitude.
To them its just fun and pay and MOST worse of all, "GOSSIP" .

i think for some people, they feel a certain rush when they talk about people behind their backs(Bad things, if you know what i mean).
maybe it makes them feel powerful and manipulating people's view of them makes them feel they are higher or in some ways better than them.

but than again i cannot blame them entirely as maybe they were train in this way.
Its like you can't blame a dog for not learning how to seat when you haven't teach him how to do so.
yeah?

but there's the part where they just keep picking on whatever small little things you've done wrong, and amplify it to a certain huge extend and just say, " hey you're not that better after all".

but i'm not going to go there and even talk about it!
(disclaimer:The above written content does not represent the whole team of worker in that store.)

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

MAYBE I SHOULD STOP CARING.

I just had an arguement with someone close.

Maybe i really care too much about some things.
i mean i try to let them know about their wrongs ways
and try to enlighten them, showing them things in another light.

Seems to them like i'm scolding them or giving lectures.
i mean MAN, do i look that free?

I've got work every other day other than my off day, and personally i think i'm not
getting enough sleep feeling the drag and tired everyday..

The toll may be getting to me, but i can do all things through christ strenghten me!
And still i have their interest at heart...

care and concerns mean nothing to them!
maybe i was wrong.
maybe i/they think differently.
maybe i should just quit on them.
maybe i should try another approach.

But i need wisdom.
Oh thou lord, won't you give me all the wisdom
i need to overcome this problem
as i need it desperately.

amen

shalom,jireh

DID I CARE TO MUCH?

Well i shall straight to the point ...

and i must try not to use acronym....

wanna improve my writing too ya know?:)

I jus feel that sum times i jus care too much...

how so?

well in personal inter-relationship
and in work and new friends..
worst of all in my family..

should'nt we all care about each other
more abit, i mean if everyone care abit more
show more concern abit more..

would'nt it be better for everyone in the world?

that just reminded me of a song by nickel back"if everyone care".
:)

what do i mean?

let me explain...

i was at work, and our job scope is to ensure all the clothes are hung at the correct
place, wall, chang(the special design at F21)area.

and we are to interact with the customer appropriately....

as we all know, that is the job of a sales associate, retail staffs, or whatever it is!


but due to human laziness, they just chuck the clothes wherever they feel its the same pattern or design.
i mean can anyone get any lazier than this!


i mean i am shock that this worldly culture have brought up such practices and ways..
not as in shocked literally but jus felt that isn't the secular world suppose to be more competitive?

and the thing i can't stand is when the part-timers jus stand around like idiots doing nothing, i mean
yeah i know the work is demanding and maybe they feel the pay ain't enough..

but i mean if you here to work, than let's get some work done. yeah? =)

maybe because of this, it prompted me to be different.
how so?
in mine back rail(putting the clothes back)
and customer serving!.
yeah maybe cause of that, mine boss sees me in a different light.

woala i m getting promoted soon...
my boss! she said" you need to STEP UP"

when i heard that, i was like at last god has seen my hard work!
amen.

i thank you god for your kindness in my face and
protection over me from my enemys.
i thank you again and may your will be done!

FRIENDLY REMINDER

well to me this is my live journal..

so to some it may seems weird or too personal

well if u feel that way ...
plz take the nearest exit to the twill-light zone..

:P


all right!
after everythings is said and done ..


let's begin

the first chapter.

A SUDDEN URGE TO BLOG

well..... what made me suddenly decide to blog again was that
i really feel that i 'm really keepin alot of things inside of me.
and i jus really want to share it out..
instead of keeping it in
now i see the reason in why sum ppl decided to blog it out.
i mean you know they might wanna gossip or say bad stuff about people
and they don wanna do it openly ...
yea?
so how ?
they blog it out...
least they get some form of pleasure frm it....
haha
jireh back for real
and really blogging
helps me improve mine typing speed
heeeee...
always wanted to practice and now its time...
jehova jireh...

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

TRUE FRENZ

A true friend never walks awayA true will always stayA true friend looks out for you
A true friend will guard your secretsLike a precious giftA true friend is there for youTo give you a helpful lift
A true friend tries to make you smileTries to replace that frownThey may not always succeedBut they rarely let you down
These arms for you are openThis heart for you does careAnd when I think you need meI'll try to always be there
I'll listen to your fearsI promise not to laughComfort your falling tearsI'll make this friendship last
I'll keep you near to my heartI'll always hold you dearEven when we're miles apartEven when you're here
I hope I am to youEverything you are to meFor the friendship we haveIs a special one indeed

that's what frenzs are for
yeah?
friendly reminder from me to me O_o

Saturday, March 31, 2007

Just for Youth...Is Life Only About FUN! FUN! FUN?

What's wrong with just doing whatever you want? Find out how to get your kicks in life-but not those that kick you in the teeth!
by Les McCullough

Sound counsel can be packed into only a few words. When I was in my teens, I heard a small-town police officer say something that has stayed with me. Several of my friends and I were in possession of some beer in a car when the officer pulled us over. He didn't arrest or ticket us. He made us pour the beer on the ground. "What you are today," he told us, "is what you will be 20 years from now."

That officer's saying stuck with me because I didn't want at age 36 to be as reckless and irresponsible as I was at age 16. The 13 words uttered by that policeman made an impact on me. Their effect wasn't immediate, but they tempered my actions from then on.
I began to think seriously about what I wanted to do and realized I wanted to achieve more than my parents had. I loved my father and mother, and they were fine people, but they were limited by their background and education. I wanted a career that I enjoyed, not one that just earned me a living. My father had a job, but my mother had to work to help pay their way. That wasn't how I wanted to live.
Some kids act responsibly

Do young people want only to have fun and bear no responsibility? Actually, what may be surprising to some is that many of them show a surprising capacity for responsible decision-making.

But they need guidance and training in making right decisions. Parents should start when their children are young to teach and direct them to see all sides of a question, then let them know that as they mature some decisions will fall to them, although others will still require input from adults.

How many parents live in the house they want in the city they want or even in the country they want? How many
have the job they want? How many take the vacation they want when they want?

If you are a young person, go to your parents and seriously ask them those questions. You may be surprised at the answers.

For many, the necessities of life dictate location and career. Often it is too late in life to make discretionary changes in job or residence. Less-than-ideal decisions early in life will affect their lives forever.

But, with the passing of time, people tend to grow wiser. A parent who says no to his child may be attempting, perhaps unwisely, to spare the child from making mistakes that would adversely affect his life. It is easier just to say no than to say no and then explain the reasons for denying permission.

If you are a parent, perhaps you should ask questions of your children and keep an open mind about the answers. The teenage years are a difficult time, when life is exciting and so much looks so desirable. Your children can't help wanting to be a part of it. Their friends appear to be having so much fun.

Wait a minute. Is that true? What other young people are they looking to as examples of kids having fun? Let's take a look, not just at a young person's acquaintances, but at young people as a whole.

What have been the fruits of the culture of the 20th century on a worldwide scale? Generally speaking, are most young people having fun? In fact, are any of them having any fun at all?
Struggling just to live

Look at Afghanistan, the Middle East, Central America, Ethiopia, Iran, China, the inner cities of nations around the world. People in these places strive for their version of happiness. But you can hardly call their striving fun.

Street urchins struggle just to live. They don't want to die, but they do. They die by the thousands for what they want in life, or they die for no good reason at all.
Children in some countries are slaughtered because they were born into the wrong ethnic background. Others simply get in somebody else's way. Some are abused just because they were unlucky enough to exist. Others struggle to find food to survive on. These youngsters are not having much fun.

If we reflect honestly, most of us reading this have much more than the basic necessities of life. We expect a better life than most of the world can ever live.
What we want, young and old alike, are the good times we see portrayed on television or in the movies or that we read about in magazines-parties, music, dancing, the kicks in life.

Unfortunately, and we don't like to think about this, the kicks in life too often turn around and kick us in the teeth. They exact a penalty that may cripple us in some way for the rest of our lives. Parents sense that this can happen; that's another reason they frequently say no.
Each year hundreds of thousands of unmarried women and girls give birth to unwanted babies.

They shed millions of tears just because they and the babies' fathers wanted to have a little fun.
The fun was short-lived, but the pain endures. More than one fourth of American families are now headed by a single female parent. Most of those families live in poverty.
Living in poverty while raising an illegitimate child is not much fun. If you had planned your life, that wouldn't be what you wanted for your children.

now think whether would it be happiness foever,or pleasure for the moment?

Guard the Door to Your Mind!
by Steve Myers


To the 21st-century ear, 1 Peter 1:13 sounds a bit peculiar in the King James Version of the Bible, and the New King James Version didn't update the wording. It tells us to "gird up the loins of your mind."
When I first read that verse I couldn't help thinking, "I didn't even know that my mind had loins, and how do you gird them anyway?" As unusual as it may first seem, Peter was inspired to record those curious words for us because they do have meaning and significance for our lives today.

What Do You Mean, "Gird Up the Loins"?

Imagine living at the time of the apostles. First-century dress was very different from today and people normally wore long robelike garments. If they tried to hurry, they could easily trip and fall over their lengthy clothing. It would be like trying to run somewhere in your long bathrobe.

To offset this dilemma a man would gather the folds of his long garment and tuck them into his belt so that he could move freely and speedily. Examples of this are also found in 1 Kings 18:46 and Luke 12:35.
Peter takes this common expression of his day and, instead of speaking about running with robes, he applies it to our minds. He tells us to take those long robes and pull them up, tuck them in and turn them into activewear. It's not time to lounge around in lengthy robes and take things as they come, but it's time to be ready for action. The NIV translation echoes this idea saying: "prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled."

What should our minds be actively doing? How do we prepare and protect our minds? We should begin by guarding the door to our mind. The process of guarding our minds is similar to protecting our computers. If our mind is to be ready for godly action, we must guard it like we secure our computers.

Install a Firewall
To keep our computer safe from attacks, we try to strengthen its defenses. What can be done to ward off computer problems? Install a firewall. A firewall isolates our computer from outside influences like the Internet. It allows the data we consider safe to enter and blocks the data we don't consider safe from corrupting our computer.

It's no different with our mind. We must strengthen our defenses by installing a spiritual firewall to guard our thoughts.
Proverbs 4:23-27 (New Century Version) tells us: "Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life. Don't use your mouth to tell lies; don't ever say things that are not true.

Keep your eyes focused on what is right, and look straight ahead to what is good. Be careful what you do, and always do what is right. Don't turn off the road of goodness; keep away from evil paths." We must constantly be on the defensive to ward off wrong thoughts.

Isn't it true that our thoughts dictate the direction of our lives? The greatest battlefield of life is the mind, and we are constantly at war for its control! If we want to live right, we must put up a spiritual firewall and not allow just anything to affect our thinking.

We have to be careful what we let in, and what we allow to influence us. We have to keep wrong thoughts and wrong ideas out of our minds, because how we think will affect how we live.
Computer geeks have a name for this process. It's called GIGO. GIGO is an acronym that stands for "garbage in, garbage out." It means that the quality of the output is directly dependent on the quality of the input. In other words, if we put bad data in our computer, what comes out will be bad results.

Jesus taught that it is exactly the same with our minds. In Mark 7:20-23 He said, "The things that come out of people are the things that make them unclean. All these evil things begin inside people, in the mind: evil thoughts, sexual sins, stealing, murder, adultery, greed, evil actions, lying, doing sinful things, jealousy, speaking evil of others, pride, and foolish living. All these evil things come from inside and make people unclean" (NCV).

Don't allow ungodly thinking. If we allow wrong thoughts into our minds, it will result in wrong sinful actions. We must keep our minds clear, uncluttered, pure and right. By being filled with God's Holy Spirit, it is possible to keep the garbage out of our minds.

Install Antivirus Software
There are circumstances, impulses and desires that constantly threaten our thinking. This is reminiscent of how our computer's processing, its thinking, is also threatened.
A common threat to guard against is a computer virus. A computer virus is a small piece of software that piggybacks on a computer program. For example, a virus might attach itself to a program on your computer and then each time that program runs, the virus runs too and has the chance to wreak havoc.

The key to controlling a computer virus is to prevent it by using antivirus utilities. Installing
antivirus software and keeping it updated will keep our computers secure by not allowing a virus access to our programs.

The same is true with our minds. We have to guard our minds so that wrong thinking is stopped even before it can begin. We must be sure that we have God's Holy Spirit activated in our life.

The apostle Paul didn't know about computers, but he understood that our minds are under attack. He tells us in 2 Timothy 1:13-14, "Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us" (New Revised Standard Version). The word for guard is the Greek word phulasso . It can mean "to keep by way of protection." We must protect our minds by using God's Spirit. It's like a spiritual antivirus program that helps us to guard against wrong thinking.

Romans 8:5-6 states, "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

Have we set our mind in order to guard what has been committed to us? Have we shielded our minds by thinking according to the Spirit?
Computer techs tell us that we should be sure to use real-time monitoring and keep our antivirus software updated. To safeguard against the latest virus, we should be sure that the update process is set to the daily mode.

Spiritually speaking, we must be "updated" daily. Are we sure that we are building a close relationship with God every day? We are spiritually updated as we constantly focus our minds on submitting to God and build godly character as we live His way. We are told in 2 Corinthians 4:16, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day."

Protecting and directing our minds during our daily spiritual update will bring remarkable blessings. "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! Selah" (Psalm 68:19).

Guard Against Spyware
When you use the Internet, it is possible that spyware could invade your computer. Without knowing it, spyware (also called adware or malware) can track your computer usage, what Web sites you visit and even what keys you strike on your keyboard. It knows what you're doing, collects your personal information and can send it to a third party without your permission. This can certainly be a threat to the health of your computer and your personal information.

There is a direct correlation between spyware and the way Satan and his demons try to track what we are doing. They watch us and try to influence us. They see what we are doing. Remember 1 Peter 5:8? We're told to "discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour" (NRSV). Satan tracks our movements and watches for an opening so that he can go on the attack.

We cannot let Satan's spyware influence our minds. Our perspective must be one of self-control so that we are not a vulnerable target for attack. As Ephesians 4:14-15 states, "...we will not be influenced by every new teaching we hear from people who are trying to fool us. They make plans and try any kind of trick to fool people into following the wrong path. No! Speaking the truth with love, we will grow up in every way into Christ, who is the head" (NCV).

We should be sure of the integrity of all of the thoughts that we allow in our mind. To get rid of Satan's spyware, we must raise the security level of our browser (our mind) from minimal safeguards to the highest security level. Proverbs 13:6 tells us how we can accomplish this: "Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner" (NIV).

Unfortunately, some have the misguided idea that somehow thoughts have a life of their own and that these thoughts determine what goes on inside our heads. This is not true. Each of us has control over our thoughts and the ability to guard them if we're determined to do so.
"We fight with weapons that are different from those the world uses. Our weapons have power from God that can destroy the enemy's strong places. We destroy people's arguments and every proud thing that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:4-5, NCV).

With God's help we can take control to root out wrong thinking before it even begins. John confirms this: "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

Reject the Dangerous
Computer security experts tell us to further protect our system by refusing unknown software, unfamiliar e-mails and unspecified attachments. Do not download unknown software. Don't open unknown e-mails, especially if they have interesting headlines. Make every effort to stay away from questionable and dangerous Web sites. If you browse them, your computer will be at risk and you can imagine what will happen next.
When applying these principles to our minds, the spiritual implications of this kind of protection are even more serious.

We must have the resolve to refuse wrong reasoning. We have to be always ready to recognize sinful influences and defend ourselves from attack. The apostle John reminds us to "look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward" (2 John 8). "Look to yourselves" in the NRSV translation conveys this ready resolve by telling us to "be on your guard."

Be an Effective Guard
We worry about the safety of our computers, but how much more should we be concerned about what enters our minds? Do we stop to consider our daily diet of radio and television? What about the newspaper or our favorite magazine? How many times are our minds under attack by the philosophies of our day?

Do we realize the extent of the powerful influences that movies and music produce on our thinking? Even the people we associate with can have a detrimental effect on us. Do we just take it all in, or do we set a guard at the door to our mind?
Let's be ready for mental combat. Think about what we view. Contemplate what we read. Let's ask ourselves: "Where is this coming from?" "How does it want me to think?" "Is this the way God thinks?"

We can secure our lives by keeping our eyes open, being vigilant and resisting wrong. A breech of computer security could result in a hard drive crash and the loss of our data. If we do not guard our mind, the loss of life will have eternal consequence.
Remember, the most powerful weapon in your arsenal is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17)—a sound knowledge of and a deep respect for the Bible.

As we stay close to God, we can take security in His promise in Psalm 121:7-8: "The Lord will protect you from all dangers; he will guard your life. The Lord will guard you as you come and go, both now and forever" (NCV).

Guard the door to your mind. UN