A Test of Faith

Just recently I have experienced an unexplainable feeling of sadness. I was depressed. I was feeling all mixed emotions in the aspects of my life, such as my dreams to become a doctor in the states, friends, the things I want to fulfill in life, doing and following God’s will for me, and many other aspects that I want to keep to myself (hehehe!).

Everyone has their desires. I know I have a lot. One day, I was being afraid with regards to my goals in life and desires in life. Honestly speaking, I did not know how I would face them. I didn’t know what I should do. I did not completely digest in my understanding the meaning of “Do your best, and let God do the rest”. What was on my mind was that I know I should trust God, which I do, and leave the rest to Him. But I myself did not know what is my part in fulfilling my goals; what does God want me to do since I already gave my life to Him; and I already lifted up all my desires. He already knows that. He already knew that I would have those desires because I believe that He gave them to me. From “A Father’s Love Letter”, a portion of is says that from Philippians 2:13 ‘For it is I who gave you those desires’. From the New international Version of the bible it says “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose”. I know it because I feel it.

During that time when I was really down, I had NO IDEA why I was feeling that way all of a sudden. I have my stand in Christ. I know He is always with me. I always strive to be in His presence. But then, I was wondering why, “Why was I sad? I am not usually like this.” Yes. I am usually a happy person. I already have God with me. But then after that feeling of sadness, other negative feelings started to follow. I had feelings of fear, uncertainty, pride, jealousy, and other stuff I might not even know. I was struggling. I did not know why I had those feelings. I was always praying. One day, I cried and knelt down to God and prayed. I was crying. The next day, I was also crying and praying, and some of the other days. My heart was broken. I was really down.

In my prayers, I was asking God. I was crying for Him to save me, asking for His mercy. I could not bare the hurt inside me. I asked Him to take it away. I also asked, “Was I losing hope? Is it ok for me to give up on this?”. “Giving up on this will make the hurt go away, and then I could just easily move on.” That’s true. But then I knew it was not right for me. I made this promise to God about certain wishes and dreams that I have. Believe me, if you’d know it, it will really sound impossible. However, I said I would always have faith. I will always believe in Him. Then suddenly that happened; and I started asking those questions. But then I realized that giving up on those that I have already committed to is like giving up the race that I started with God. And God is not a God who gives up.

One day, I reread Kuya Dhrey’s blog about a “hopeless case”. And it says there that

"In the human perspective, it's easy to give up hope. Sometimes, we don't need to choose to give up hope because it's our tendency. But the good thing is we can always choose to be hopeful. We can always choose to stay positive despite of negative things happening around us.

The ability to choose to be positive requires faith on God. Faith that God will not give up on us because He is our hope. And if He is our hope, we can be assured that even if we give up hope, HOPE (GOD) never gives up on us." (to read more go to http://www.soulcarelover.blogspot.com/)

After reading that, it made me rethink. I realized that I should not give up hope (GOD), because it does not give up on me. I needed to regain my hope. That time, I also realized this was a test, A TEST OF FAITH. I knew I was growing in God. God wanted to test me, to test my faith on how far it had gone. So he gave me this. And as I was struggling I never gave up one Him. God is always that one I would run to. So, I understood. These things are not easy to digest in my mind up until now. But now, I know. It’s hard to explain but I just know and feel it.

So many sayings in the Bible say that God will never leave us, nor forsake us. He is always with us. And also by realizing a lot about this test that it made me remember the saying from Psalm 37:4 “Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart.” So many sayings also say never to lose hope for God is our Hope. He knows us even more than we know ourselves. He loves us even more than we know, whoever we are, or whatever we may be. It is because He is our creator, our Father, and He has deep, deep, unconditional love for us. He loves us so much and even if we feel like He is not with us, HE IS. It takes Faith in Lord, and that is what I desire to have.

If you have experienced or are experiencing the same way as I did. The greatest advice that I can give you is to GO TO GOD. TRUST IN HIM. I give you one of my favorite verses “Seek Ye first the Kingdom of God, and ALL these things shall be added unto you”.

Have A GOD BLESSED Life!

For the Hopeless

God will make a way,
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to
His sideWith love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way.

By a roadway in the wilderness,
He'll lead meAnd rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and earth will fadeBut
His Word will still remainHe will do something new today.

God will make a way,
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way,
He will make a way

PROVERBS 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Words of Drunkard

Proverbs 23: 35

"They hit me", you will say, "but I'm not hurt! They beat me, but i don't feel it! When will i wake up so i can find another drink?"

Usually drunkards drink because they have problems. They drink becuase (they think) it makes the pain disappear. But drinking can only temporarily relieve pain, but it does not solve the problem so it just comes back. When it does, they look for another drink, not really wanting to deal with it. Everyday, drink after drink, problem after problem, they all come. Drinking not only solve a problem. it adds problems to you. Drinking is not a solution. It's another problem. It alters a person's way of thinking, so they lose their normal state of mind. It makes them do and think of stupid and crazy things which they will regret or get frustrated over. It affects their family and friends. Also, it destroys their health, particularly their liver.

People who use drinking to relieve their pain, lack faith in the Lord. That's why their problems won't go away, but instead, it adds up. They forget that Jesus is our Savior. Him dying on the cross is not only Salvation for us at that time, but it is forever and ever.

God loves us. He knows every single cell in our body. He sees everything that we do, when we stand, when we sit, when we sleep, when we love, when we lie, when we are in pain. Everything! He hears our cries, even when we don't pray about it, and even when we hide it. He is God, Our creator. What else can you expect. He is a Loving, El shaddai (powerful and all sufficient), Our Mighty God. He is greater than our problems. When we have a God with us, there is nothing that can stand in our way. All it takes is Faith. Love God. Pray. Have Faith. and Believe that He can solve our problems for us.

Drinking may have good effects too. But the disadvantages are more than the advantages. Anything in excess is bad. Drink moderately ! ;)!

Godbless you!

God's Wrath Against Mankind

Romans 1:18-32

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of human beings who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal human beings and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

what do you think? do you agree? do you agree that what was said in this passage is the same as what is happening in this world in the present, and not only in the past? what do you think about this people? do you do the same things as they did? What do you think you should do?how sinful is the world today?

These are just some questions to reflect about what is going on. It is a simple reminder from Paul :).

Remember that all men and women are equal in the eyes of the Lord. He judges our hearts, our inner most being, not only by the deeds that we do nor how we behave. It is our hearts which God sees, for it tells all the truth about ourselves.

Psalm 50:22
Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to peicesm with none to rescue.

Who can escape from God? no one. All of us will be judged.

so my best advice to you is. "Repent and Fear the Lord" - the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. His love will bring us Salvation.

Psalm 103
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.

Sheep vs. Wolf

MATTHEW 10:16; 19-20

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves… But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it, at that time you will be given out what to say, for it will not be you speaking but the Spirit of your Father."

As children, followers, or disciples of God, we are called out to serve Him. Jesus said in this passage that we are sent out like sheep among wolves. The wolves symbolize the people, society, the community, the world that we live in right now. This means that it won’t be an easy task. It is not safe and we don’t know who we will be facing, or what.

However in verse 19 and 20 Jesus says there that when they arrest us, when we are numbered, or when we face them, we should not be scared. We should not worry. God is with us everywhere we go. He will not forsake us. At that situation we should not be afraid to speak nor be afraid of what to do. He says we will be given out what to say, for it will be the Holy Spirit who will be speaking for us.

That is how God uses us. It is not through our OWN efforts in doing God’s will and making it happen. Remember we are helpless without God. We cannot do much. Imagine yourself facing a world of wolves by yourself, trying to fulfill your purpose for God or even in fulfilling your dreams, without even depending on Him. Will you be able to do it? I doubt it. We need God.

We are being used by God to fulfill His will for us, just like how He used the people in the Bible and even the people today. He will fill us with the Holy Spirit to guide and protect us in every situation we are in. The bottom line is, WE NEED TO BE 100% DEPENDENT ON GOD, for He will never Forsake us. :)

God Bless You!

C o M p R o M i S o

This day, I attended the second day of the Sunog Mindanao 2: G-12 Conference. The night during the Conference, a Spanish Pastor lectured us about a very powerful message that really, really moved me. I believe he was a really great speaker. In the conference today, a lot of pastors gave their testimonies about their life experiences of the works of God in them. These were really great testimonies. They are very true. All meant one thing, and that is when you have God in you and you believe, your life will change. You will be living a life full of God’s blessings, love, and His providence. When you work for God, you will be rewarded, REALLY REWARDED. “All Sacrifices for the Lord has a reward.” However, there is one thing you have to do to have a PROSPEROUS and BETTER life. That thing was lectured to us by the Spanish speaker.

What is it?

Compromiso. In English, it is COMMITMENT. Commitment to Christ.

I will share some of the things that were shared to us during the lecture out of the notes that I had gathered. These are not my words, but the words of the Spanish Pastor who is speaking through Christ in Him.

Everybody wants success and a better life, but to have them you have to have commitment. Nothing can be achieved without commitment. It is staying ‘til the end.

It is not by luck or talent that someone has achieved something great in life. It is Commitment; and GOD IS A GOD OF COMMITMENT (Deuteronomy 7:9 says, “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep His commands”). Jesus gave His life out of commitment. He didn’t give just a part of Him, but He gave HIS WHOLE LIFE. When it comes to commitment, it’s either you’re all the way or you not. It’s either you’re inside you’re house or you’re out. In commitment, it is about giving your all, the whole part of you. Giving only a part will not work.

Commitment functions in all of us. It functions in our life, our dreams, our goals, our needs, EVERYTHING!

Commitment is to grow without ceasing, persevering. The purpose of our Christian Life is to grow, to multiply! “Go Forth and Multiply!” when you stop growing, you stop being a leader. Nothing will happen. Nothing will change. We must grow everyday. Without growth, we fail. If we won’t commit to our growth, we will fail. Christian Life is NOT associated with Failure. Jesus committed His Whole Life to give us salvation, He succeeded; He was and is still victorious. It is Jesus’ nature to be VICTORIOUS. John 14: 12 says, “ I tell you the Truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father”. When you have Christ, in committing to him, you will to do the same thing He has done, even greater! (Isn’t it great?!)

The two aspects of Commitment is that it gives strength and it gives direction. You will be able to do it because God is with you. You are born for a purpose.

Commitment is tested everyday. Job 23:10 says, “ But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” It takes Discipline. Discipline is in line with the word Disciple. Disciple means Discipline in Commitment.

The Greatest Challenge in Commitment is Failure. When discouraged, Commitment makes you rise up. Having to be committed to the Lord requires you to only be discouraged for one hour, Then RISE UP! GET UP! DEPEND ON GOD! PUT YOUR STRENGTH ON YOUR COMMITMENT!

When the question “Can I reach that Goal?” comes into your mind, do now worry. God says, “Have Strength in Me.” It takes determination. Its either you Do it or you Do it. James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Isaiah 60:18 “No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.”

You have to make a decision. Just like the decision that was made by one of the two thieves who were crucuified along with Christ in Golgotha. The other asked Christ for forgiveness, while the other did not. (the Pastor even joked about it saying, “That one was a good thief because he stole Salvation at the last minute” – haha)

A person in the Bible who gave her commitment to Christ was Ruth. Because of that God rewarded her. Check on Matthew 1:5, notice that she is the only woman whose name is stated out of all the men in the genealogy of the Christ. Amazing, isn’t it?

Remember this: When you serve God, when you commit yourself to Him, You are not paying the price; You are ENJOYING LIFE.

Without Commitment, you will gain no reward, no privileges. You don’t gain anything. God gives the best to those who commit to Him. He wants us to believe. God will SURPRISE YOU because of your Commitment. When you Commit to God, serve Him, He puts everything you need, the people, the money, etc, and whatever you like. GOD CAN DO IT.

COMMITMENT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. When you strive for something you want, commit to God. Commitment is an everyday struggle. Even if you have or don’t have the desire, DO IT ANYWAY. Even if you do not want it, you don’t feel like it, or you are tired or scared to do it, DO IT ANYWAY!

PAY THE PRICE AND COMMIT. You will see the difference. Sometimes there are fears, but despite that, keep advancing! Discipline. What you don’t conquer will Conquer you. It is better to suffer now and live the rest of my life as a Champion. There is a generation that we need to reach. If we don’t, the next generation will be more difficult.

The Pastor said, “We Christians are crazy! We are Weird! Freaks! Jesus-Freaks! Why? Because we sleep late because of helping people; We pray for people who we don’t even know; We want to win a Nation, and other stuff!” (Hahaha! It’s crazy, right? It was just a joke though. But all these are because of our commitment to God)

Another example about Commitment is about a famous Athlete whose name we all know. His name is Michael Jordan. A basketball player said that when he saw MJ He is just a basketball player like the rest of them. He does the things basketball players do, same skills, same dribbling, shooting, and whatever. But there is only one difference. It is MJ’s commitment. Every training, Michael is always the one who comes in first and goes out last. It started when he had this determination to give his mom a house. He wanted to be the best player in the world. And look where it has brought him. Almost everybody in this world knows the name of Michael Jackson. (Amazing! Praise God!)

* * * * * * * * *

This Message has greatly moved me. This gave me the determination to commit and do what I am made for to serve the Lord. Even if it isn’t my desire, even if I am scared, or even if I am lazy or tired to do it, I WILL FORCE MYSELF TO DO IT. It is for the Lord. Besides, our sacrifices, the price that we paid would not go to waste. God will reward me and all those who commit to Him. This is because He loves us. As we are committed to Him, He is MORE committed and MORE faithful to us than we are to Him. I will continue to struggle for the Lord for I am not alone. HE IS WITH ME, as well as with all you. He is with us in every situation and in every moment of our lives. Let’s commit. I am sure I will, not only for the rewards He will be giving me, but because He is my Lord and My Savior. He is committed to me. He gave His Whole Life for me out of His Faithfulness and Love. Does He not deserve my commitment? YES, He DOES! He DESERVES IT VERY MUCH.

What about you? You who is reading my blog, right now, Christian or not? Don’t you want to have a better life?
COMMIT TO GOD

The Best Change In Life

As a start of my first Blog, I am going to share about a New life of change. :)


Wait! Let my complete that.


A New Life Of Change In The Presence Of The Lord!


Yes! This is no ordinary change. This change is not like a change of only a bad attitude, a change of lifestyle, a change of habit. This is a Change Directed BY God and FOR God in MY Life.


How did this start? As I can remember, not so long ago, I started to tell myself that I need to change the unwanted things in my life, for God of course. Before, I always prayed to God asking Him to Mold me the way He wanted me to be, to be stronger in Faith, so on and so forth. Last week, one of the things that I wrote in my notebook was about changing my whole life into a life deserving of God's Love. A Life that would please God and make Him Happy (I was writing it during my Physics Lab out of boredom and because I had the urge to write out my mixed feelings during that time - I didn't bring my little journal notebook so I just wrote it on my Lab notebook - Haha! ;] ) I wrote it because I was driven by a feeling that I should. It felt Good and Motivating.


God hears our prayers even if we feel like He doesn't. Even if it feels like we are talking to ourselves, He DOES HEAR us. He heard my prayer about molding and change. I know He is already working in me. I FEEL it and KNOW it in my Mind, Heart, and Soul.


Let me relate it through my experiences last Sunday and just a while ago Tonight.


Last Sunday, Pastor Fred Adams (our Pastor) told this sermon about a wonderful change that God is making in us. He told us his story about a vision he had. In that vision, there was a small little house on a cliff. It's really just a small house, probably made out of wood or something. And coming near that little house is a very large bulldozer. It is going to push the little house off the cliff. Pastor said as the bulldozer was coming closer and closer he was getting scared and worried about that little house. Why? because that little house symbolized his life. What would you feel if a large bulldozer is going to push your life off a cliff and crush it into ruins. Scary, right? But that's not the end of it. As the saying goes, "Out goes the Old and In Comes the New", it means that God used that bulldozer to remove the old and Build the New out of the Ruin that was left From that Large disaster.


Let me make it simple. What or who I used to be in life will be turned into ruins. If we accept that we are in Ruins and confess it to the Lord, The Lord will Make a New Us Out of that Ruin whom we used to be. It's a New, Awesome, Motivating Change, Isn’t it?


Another one is about the Lecture at the G-12 Conference just this night. My cousin-in-law invited me to this G-12 Conference (Sunog Mindanao). He said it is really nice. So I felt happy and excited to join, even if I knew that I don't know what would be there, the registration, what to do, or whatever. I just know that I want to go.


It was because before that, since the start of this whole day, I felt like I wasn't feeling right. I am not sick or anything. I feel like there is something lacking in me, or more like there is something that is bothering me and hindering me or some sort. I didn’t seem to enjoy almost half of this day. I felt empty(I think that's how I should describe it). I felt as if I needed something. I also felt that I needed to get rid of this thing that is bothering me and blocking me from my continuing growth in Christ. Even if I remind myself about the sermon last Sunday it didn't seem to be enough. I couldn't get my feelings for the Lord in the right place where it should be.


I was struggling. I didn't want this feeling. Even since before, I was feeling it. Every time I feel the fire of the Lord within me, these feelings tend to hold me back. I know there was something wrong, and I couldn’t figure out why I was feeling them. These feelings are feelings of Pride, Doubt, Worldly Realism, and Feelings of Discontentment. I think those are what they are. Honestly, as I had these feelings, I REALLY REALLY REALLY DON'T WANT THEM IN ME. I was fighting them off. I kept praying and asking God about this. It feels like I want to cry because of having these. I don't know why thoughts about them come into my mind and it tends to confuse me. I DON'T WANT IT. One thing was clear though. It was the work of the devil trying to ruin me and trying to destroy me from my Faith.

When I attended the G-12, I was able to realize some things. I was still struggling from those feelings as I was enjoying praising the Lord. The Lecture of the Pastor there was about the saying “WHEN I CHANGE, EVERYTHING CHANGES”. He then related the idea to different people who experienced the changes of their lives in the presence of the Lord. Some of them were such people like Abraham “The Father of All Nations”, Moses “The Deliverer of God’s Nation”, and another one was Jacob. Jacob was once a deceiver, manipulator, and a heel-catcher. He did a lot of things that were unpleasant in God’s eyes. But then..

24So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. 28Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." 29Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. 30So Jacob called the place Peniel [which means "face of God"], saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."

Jacob accepted and confessed His weakness to the Lord, and asked for mercy. He chose to change. Because of that God gave him a new name.

This is one good example of changing in the presence of the Lord. This is what I choose to be like. I did the same thing Jacob did. Accepted, confessed honestly, asked for mercy, then Let go of the old and Changed. I offered all the feelings that was bothering me and blocking my paths to my growth in the Lord. I did not let go until He blessed me, until I felt that blessing.

God knew everything. I cried a little. It felt good and very relieving. I felt so free. I felt so refreshed, so rejuvenated. I CHANGED, and I am ready to live a life directed and prepared by Christ, letting Christ form me.

A lot were said during the Lecture that reminded me and made me realize a lot of things about the Lord. It was an amazing experience; and There is still More To Come.

GOD IS REALLY GOOD, GREAT, AND SO AWESOME. It Does not matter who I am or who you are, what matters is WHO HE IS IN YOU. If you want the people around you to change, YOU CHANGE! If you want to make a difference in this world, YOU CHANGE! If you want a better life, YOU CHANGE! IF YOU WANT GOD TO BLESS YOU, YOU BETTER GET A HEAD ON AND CHANGE!!! LET HIM WORK ON YOU TO CREATE A NEW CREATION FROM THE RUINS IN YOU

…That’s what I am doing now and IT FEELS GREAT! :)