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What are the small drops of kindness you've experienced when it feels like the road ahead is too foggy?

“You need to do 3-4 internships to make your CV look good! If not, it'll be very hard to get a job!”

Spiritual sight transforms how we pastor and pray.

Reputation and high pay might just be two of the things we prioritise when we are job-searching - hence, leaving employment matters in God's hands might seem difficult when you have the complete autonomy to make a decision. What happens when you choose to prioritise the latter?

Praying and strengthening our relationship with God may not be a solitary journey. On the contrary, we can find great comfort by forming our own group of spiritual companions, and help each other in this long route of faith too.

We might be very dazzled by the 'fun' lives our peers lead. Despite the allure, how can we choose to pursue a life that is more edifying and respectful of boundaries?

Do we give the peers around us an opportunity to know about Jesus?

The many paths we choose to take in order to be well-received among the masses in University - how can things like this be left in God's hands?

How do you stay grounded amid the rolling winds?

How did I want to look back on my four years of Uni?

Embrace every opportunity, but keep Christ at the centre.

Zechariah 7 starts with the people questioning if God wanted them to continue fasting, as they had done for many years in captivity. In response, God questions their intentions — “When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me? ” (Zech 7:5) God, who knows the hearts of men perfectly, knew that their fast wasn’t out of repentance, but rather because they were in a period of mourning for their plight. Instead, God wanted their obedience to the many warnings He sent through the prophets (Zech 7:7), revealing God’s desire for obedience and sincere repentance over empty actions. Similarly, Isaiah 58 tells us more about fasting that is accepted by God, with the emphasis on the intention and accompanying actions when one fasts. “…Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.” (Isaiah 58:3-4, ESV) The Israelites’ fast was rejected by God as they continued in their wicked ways, instead of fasting accompanied by righteousness and compassion (Isaiah 58:6-8). Fasting expresses our devotion to God when done with the right heart . Today, we often have church-wide fasts before Spiritual Meetings and large-scale Evangelistic Services where we pray for God’s guidance and for His Spirit to work mightily around us. When we take part in these fasts, let us also consider if we are doing so with the right heart. Reflecting on our intentions also applies to other things beyond fasting, like prayer, Bible-reading, reaching out to brethren, or even just coming to church. Just as Jesus says in Matthew 6, let us not do these things with the same heart as the hypocrites who receive their desired recognition and glory from men, but not God’s reward. Instead, when we do these things to the Father who is in the secret place, and truly humble ourselves before Him with a sincere and obedient heart towards His words, our Father who sees in secret will reward us openly. It is easy to get accustomed to doing things out of habit, including things related to our faith. Therefore it is all the more important for us to constantly reflect on our purpose, and ensure that God is truly at the centre of all that we do. May our hearts always be well-pleasing to God so that our actions that follow are also accepted by Him. (Extra!) Read this Manna article to find out more about the purpose and right attitude towards fasting: What You Need To Know About Fasting (Manna 5) https://ia.tjc.org/elibrary/ContentDetail.aspx?ItemID=12690&langid=1