His Words

Probably most of us have felt that something isn't fair. That we deserve better, that we deserve so much more. Yes it is true, sometimes nagiging selfish tayo. Probably because we were born in a selfish nature. Remember noong bata tayo, we ask for whatever we want. Like, "I want food! Take care of me! I want that!" But let's admit, there are times na tayo rin mismo, nagiging unfair sa ibang tao. Sometimes we feel that we are more privileged sa ibang tao. Madalas din it is easier for us to see the mistakes of other rather than looking at our own. As we all know, nobody is perfect - that is why we really need JESUS in our lives.

The good news is, God is letting these kinds of attitudes as mentioned in Ecclesiastes 3:18 TLB (“God is letting the world go on its sinful way so that He can test mankind, and so that men themselves will see that they are no better than beasts”). Imagine, without God in our lives, we will become inhumane to each other. Without God, there will be no forgiveness, patience and compassion. Lahat tayo nagkakamali, the only thing that makes the difference is how we respond to it. Magpapakamataas ba tayo, paiiralin ba natin ang pride? Itatanim ba natin sa puso natin na lagi tayong tama at full of pain and hatred? Na napaka-unfair? Or we will chill down, pray to God, be humble and surrender to God?

Let's face the truth that time will come that we will be answerable to God with all the injustices that we committed so we need mercy. We are not just the victims but sometimes we are perpetrators too. It means that we need Jesus in our lives, always!. He can vindicate and refresh us as written in Psalm 40:17 MSG ("I’m a mess. I’m nothing and have nothing; make something of me. You [God] can do it; you’ve got what it takes"). So the next time you feel that you were treated unfairly, be reminded that every person in this world (including you) needs Jesus.

Photo creidt: moneyinternational.com

On my way back to Dubai, I was seating in the plane and was thinking that this year will be a very good and fruitful year for our church. It made me think to do planning and vision casting. So after landing and getting a cab, I immediately asked the team to get ready for an exciting activity. Below is the teaching that revealed to me during my devotion last Wednesday and Thursday.

IS SETTING GOALS UNSPIRITUAL?

No! Many people wrongly think, "Goal setting is unspiritual because it shows a lack of trust. It's not right to plan. Instead, people should wait for God to lead them.” Granted, God doesn't want us to forge ahead in pride without consulting Him for direction. But neither does He want us to sit around without acting, because He's given us gifts and talents and has also said that we are called to do good works.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.)

Forging ahead without seeking God or sitting back and doing nothing can stem from fear or a lack of faith. However, setting goals and consulting with Him shows that you trust Him and believe that He is able to lead you while you are moving forward.

The main verse that we studied was Philippians 3:13-14.

¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Setting goals is a part of spiritual discipline

1. Set Goals Like Running in a Race (v 13)

• TAKE HOLD (Apprehend, Make it my own) - to reach the goals, claim it as you have received and accomplished it.
• FORGETTING (Not to have remembrance, Not looking back) - forget the past and old failure but never omit the lessons that you have learned from it
• STRAINING TOWARD (Forward, Reaching Forth) - focus your eyes on God, focus on accomplishing good works. No laziness, no weakness, no backing down. Aim for gold!

• PRESS ON (Pursuing, Chasing, Running) - it is about winning the prize which is knowing God more and hear His calling. Again, setting goals is a part of spiritual discipline. It's not just a good idea; the Bible says you need to set goals in order to grow in your faith. Goals stretch you and help you become all God wants you to be.

God is a God who sets goals, and he expects you to set them too. Like the Apostle Paul, he wants us to say: Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. (1 Corinthians 9:26)

You will make mistakes in setting goals. It's OK. Because God wants to see you do His will, He will teach you the way to go as you walk in faith. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. (Psalm 32:8)

After the teaching, I divided the team into two groups and put the goals that we will accomplish and might able to attain. It turned out to be exciting and the ideas were pouring out:

We can't deny that sometimes insecurity lingers into our mind and that we cannot run from it. We try to avoid it but we can't help to compare ourselves to others and doubt our own strength. To begin with, being insecure is not a healthy attitude. Trust me, it will not help you at all. To start, why don't we discuss the effects it brings to us?

Every time I feel insecure, I always pray to God, for Him to make me realize and recognize my areas of self-doubt. We can always ask Him to help us towards the freedom of insecurities and wipe away all our doubts. The verse that becomes helpful is this: Psalm 143:8 (Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life). Just trust Him, He loves us so much.

Image taken from rich-christian-living.com

Everytime we have a problem, our primary focus, sometimes, is being withdrawn from God. We mainly concentrate on the issues that are coming to us and think about it most of the time that will lead to lose our attention from the Lord. It is not easy to suffer from a situation that you don't know what to do and don't have any idea how to overcome it. We should remember that during these hard times, we must focus our mind and spirit to the Lord and take advantage of the situation to meditate and become closer to Him.

It is so amazing to read David's verses of praise that are in Psalm 145:1-13. Despite those sufferings and lots of circumstances, he just surrendered everything to his Father and continuously praise Him and bring all the praises. For him, the center of his life is only God and that there is nothing that He can't do. All of his attention was only to God and he used his situation as an opportunity to meditate in His words.

As a believer, we are mostly being tested in the midst of trials; on how we will react on it and how our faith and trust will evolve. Adversities are part of Christian life and it makes us stronger about everything. When meditating through His words anticipate divine help and believe that we will claim victory for all these kinds of situations. So treat the problems in a positive way, rejoice in it and continue to believe in His power and spend time with Him. Use these times to devote a time only for Him. Isn't it wonderful that despite all these circumstances in life, we are rejoicing because we know that His presence will embrace us and lead us to His promises?

Image taken from nextdoormormon.com

Sometimes, we take for granted those simple things and favors that have given to us by someone. We normally forget to say "Thank You" and appreciate those moments. Maybe someone offered you a cup of coffee or wipe your shirt to remove small dirt or asked you how is your day and gave you some tips. Though these things are "small" in nature, still showing appreciation and gratitude to that person will put a smile on their face and it feels so good to see that right? Also, it is beneficial to that person probably because you can lift up his/her mood for that day. If we are on their side, say we did something for someone, receiving gratefulness can pinch a joy in our hearts.

In the Christian manner, we should be thankful for all the blessings that He is giving to us and no matter what the circumstances are, we should still appreciate what He presented to us. Of course saying "thank you" for wonderful things is easy but the real test is how to show gratitude to Him when challenges are coming into our way. For whatever the nature is, we should ALWAYS thank Him as it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus). I have discussed before that adversities are just God's tests for us and these things will prove how strong our faith is once we overcome it. Failures and challenges are great opportunities to be closer to Him and have an in depth relationship with Him as we ask for guidance and help and He loves it very much when His sons and daughters are coming towards Him asking for divine help and providing solutions to our problems. Yes, I will say, give thanks for these instances and never doubt in showing appreciation to Him. We should be reminded that He loves us and those tests are there not for us to suffer but to cast away those weaknesses (Psalm 136:1 - "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.")

So let's be thankful for everything! He uses other people to help us and these people are His instruments to show us the way and provide us the necessary things that we need. We might be in lack for some factors in our lives but the people around us might become our greatest line of supply. Showing gratitude is so easy but remember to feel it directly from your heart and say/show it with gladness and sincerity. Thanking these people is also thanking Him.

image taken from thechangeblog.com

Love, a four letter word that might comprise a thousand (or even million) definitions. We might have been fall in love and could have been gone crazy for it. But how do we cope up and why are we still pursuing love even if we experienced hurt before? They said, 'Love like you've never been hurt' is the exact description of what I am talking about. But beneath those happiness and pain, there are still those memories on how a person broke our heart and left a hole on it.

Breakup is such a painful experience; it can lead to depression and doubting yourself. You will also question yourself on what you could have done better and if there is something wrong with yourself. We might have also given them the stars and the moon and sacrificed a lot to a person just to show how much we can offer for love. The worst part of it all is that you have to separate ways and there's nothing you can do about it. The process of healing is not an easy timeline but it will be easier if we know who we should run for in times of heartache.

Primarily, God is the best source for an immediate medication to this kind of "condition". As stated in Psalm 147:3, "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds". Just come to Him, He will show you the way and there will be a "holy surgery" that He will perform to your heart and be ensure that there will be no pain. Pray to Him and ask for wisdom and greater understanding about His plans. He will build you up and will reveal to you that He has prepared a better person for you. Jesus cares for us (1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you) and He wants to take away all those sorrows and pains and stop the tears flowing from our eyes.

As we all know, He is the source of everything. He is the only who can provide the greatest strength and comfort that we need in these times of troublesome. Lastly, we can also pray and ask for Him that right person that He has prepared for us. We should be reminded that we should first seek Him and the rest will be give upon us (Matthew 6:33 - But seek first His kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well). The question is, can you commit your time to Him? Study His words and ways and live the way that He used to be while He was here. Keep in our mind that love is the greatest feeling of all and it covers everything.

Image taken from beliefnet.com

In decision making, we might be considering several factors before we can make our final thought about a certain thing. We seek advice, ask for guidance from our close friends and inquire for opinions from our loved ones. There is one thing that should surpass all these considerations and that is to listen to Him as He wants us to make right decisions and directions that are according to His will. He will provide us the instructions and steps that we must take but we must obey it without a doubt and questions. I remember those days before coming here in Dubai, I was asking Him to give me answers whether to leave or stay in Singapore. God told me to wait as He was "cooking" something special for me. I waited patiently for His answers and after five months, I left for Dubai.

Before leaving Singapore, I had many questions. Am I ready to leave my ministry and lifegroup? What does future hold me in Dubai? Is there any lifegroup and I can join with? With all those questions, He insisted that I should go here, so I obeyed even if it hurts leaving people behind who made me for who I am right now. They are my second family and I treasure the friendship I have with them. So I packed my bags and went here. There were some challenges and moments of sadness but He helped me a lot and made me realize that there is more in this place than my job. I'm starting to love my stay here and I believe that there will be more precious moments that I can treasure from this country. Maybe God wants me here for a reason and I am still waiting for that revelation.

With these things that I have experienced, I learned that for us to be able to hear Him clearly about His instructions, we should have a clear and pure heart. We must ensure that our intentions are good and obey Him without a doubt. Surrender everything to Him and be persistent in praying as it is indeed the most powerful tool we have. I remembered that I even fasted for two weeks just to get the answer and the results were according to His plan and I believe that time will come that what my heart desires can be found here. I also had peace in here that I didn't feel during my last days in Singapore since I had many things on my mind and some problems that I didn't know how to solve. His instructions are clear, wait for His time as He has the perfect timing in everything. Knowing and trusting God's promises will erase the doubts that we have. Maybe the answers that we are waiting for might take months before we receive it. I realized all of this in Psalm 25:9, "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way". There is no useless time in waiting for his instructions as we can be sure that the directions we need is the right and perfect way.

Image taken from westloop-church.blogspot.com

Last Thursday during the service in Victory Church, I was reminded of how our God is so patient, understanding and forgiving. These past few weeks, I wasn't myself, I was full of negative emotions and wrong thinkings. But despite those things, He continue to protect and bless me for which I felt that I don't deserve any of it. I was then realized that He is still guiding me, directing me to the right path, indeed the best shepherd.

The service discussed God as the true shepherd. The pastor first mentioned the characteristics of a sheep on which some of them, I believe relates to us or defines our very own traits. The list included strong, stubborn, dependent, demanding, restless, slow to learn, straying, same everywhere, unpredictable, unattractive, copycat and fools. Despite these adjectives, isn't it great that God doesn't give up on us? Isn't it a great feeling that no matter what we do, we always have the second chance? Isn't it wonderful that there is someone that provides unending love, concern, protection and guidance?

1. Pursues Us. In verses Ezekiel 34:11 (For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them) and Luke 19:9-10 (⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”) mention that there is no place for us to hide, He will continue to look for us, search for us and will never give up on us.

2. Protects Us. These verses state that God will be our ultimate protection against any harm and willing to give up His life for us. Ezekiel 34:12 (As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.); John 10:11 (“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.)

3. Provides For Us. As we all know, He is the Great Provider, He gives us everything that we need. No matter what we ask He will give but let's always put in our mind that God has three answers in everything we ask, (a) Yes (b) Not this time and (c) I have better plans for you. Ezekiel 34:13-14 (¹³ I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. ¹⁴ I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.)

The pastor then asked us to read Psalm 23, read not only by eyes but should come from the heart. That very moment, I felt His touch, the warmth of His embrace and it was like He was sitting besides me and saying "welcome back my son, its good to have you back. I've been waiting for you". I know I'm not perfect but I am blessed that I have a perfect shepherd. We just need to listen to His voice and obey Him. It will also be a good thing for us if we are surrounded by people with the same belief and encourage us towards the correct path.

Blaming others and defend ourselves were the first steps that we do when we are facing false accusations that might lead us to uncontrollable anger and madness. I was once accused of something that I did not do, maybe it was easy for them to do such thing since I was making a lot of fun unto them and to others. As a human, my initial reaction was falsifying those words and insisted that I didn't do it. I was angry and the emotions were covering my entire physical body and mind. Then in the end, I realized that it was totally wrong, I didn't control myself, instead I caused pain and ache to the accuser by saying words beyond my control. In that situation, I was reminded that I should always represent Jesus in my every action and I failed that day. It opened my mind that as Christian, I should be calmed in facing storms and probable false words that will destroy my credibility. Yes, I have learned my lesson.

In Luke 12:11-12 (11 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”), it says there prayer is the most powerful tool in such situation that if we do, God will provide us supernatural wisdom and words will utter into our mouth. That's why we should have first inner peace and experience His presence and give full attention only unto Him as He is always available for us if we seek guidance (John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid). Then we should ask for wisdom and ask for the right words that should come out from ourselves as He will seal our lips until He shows us the perfect words to pour out. You will then be surprised on how calm you are and you might not even identify how those powerful words came out of your mouth (Psalm 141:3 - set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips). We must always remember that the Holy Spirit will lead us to the path of understanding and will show us beyond those hurful words and actions the right approach to do. He will give us insight and better picture of the entire situation.

Proverbs 16:3 - Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Commitment is following Jesus. I know that committing entirely to Him isn't that easy but we should always make it to a point to do the best that we can and to have an inner fulfillment. It is also a choice between following His ways or pursue our ways. Commitment builds up faith and develops character. It is a spiritual discipline requiring time, work and determination. For several instances, we can't really commit to God the way we want to be due to some factors. Such as time, as sometimes we prioritize "other activities" rather than serving Him and we always say that we don't have enough time due to work, household chores and the best excuse is that we were tired. Everyday is a blessing from Him, so why don't we commit our daily plans for Him as a start. Commit everything that we do and always put Him in our every action and let Him guide us. Some ways that will be helpful to develop our commitment are reading the bible, pray daily, serve Him, come to Church and focus to heaven which means give to Him your full trust and focus on Him despite the trials, let's set our eyes only unto Him.

1 Peter 4:19 - So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. In our Christian life, there will always be challenges, expect obstacles in life and be prepared for any trials. In these moments, we should be reminded that our Lord is bigger than our problems that whatever it takes, put your trust only to Him and continue to soar high by serving Him and totally commit everything to Him. Suffering is a temporary instance, but as soon as we overcome it, the fulfillment and joy is indescribable. The feeling that we were able to survive without compromising our commitments to Him will be a tremendous accomplishment.

Psalm 37:5 - Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this. In reality, we have multiple commitments, we want to be committed to family, church, personal growth, community, etc. These commitments are good but not equally good. Yes, sometimes we fail to commit on such manner that we consider family first before the church, girlfriend/boyfriend comes first before the church, etc. The best thing that we can do is to balance our time. Always monitor what we need to do at each particular moment. We should be reminded that there is one commitment that always takes priority, that should never be compromised and that is our commitment to God. This comes before all other commitments — and in fact it is because we are committed to God that we also want to keep our commitments in all the other areas. Commitment to God is the foundation for all the others, for why we do them - and how we can be successful in managing our multiple commitments. Put God first.

Yesterday was a roller coaster of emotions for me. I received news about the death of my churchmate's father and the death of a former colleague. First news was very heart breaking as I know how this sister in Christ of mine truly trust and praise God. The acceptance wasn't easy but it was comforting to know that his father accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and saviour. Still, the thought of losing someone isn't easy and needs more time for the healing of the heart. The second news was a shocking one, this cool, hippie Indian friend and was a teammate from BarCap was so young and has a lot of potentials. But these things happen for a reason. Death isn't the end at all for them as I believe that an everlasting peace will be with them, same to my sister who left the Malbas clan eight years ago. They are now in a world where no pain will be felt, no problems need to rectify and will embrace the freedom from suffering and sins.

Jesus has prepared a place for us in that kingdom as stated in John 14:1-4 (Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.). There is place that awaits for us after our purpose here on earth so we shouldn't worry at all about our relatives and friends who have passed away. If you will notice, description about the heave is very brief. Infact, if you will read the bible, only few details were given about the real atmosphere of heaven and what happens in the afterlife. Maybe God's reason is to keep us excited and for us to wonder about the mysteries of heaven, it's for us to imagine and it's for us to believe.

In Christianity, the assurance that you will reach that world is that you have received Jesus Christ as personal Lord and saviour and by declaration of faith. We should acknowledge Him will full trust, faith and love (Matthew 10:32-33 "Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heave"). Should we be afraid about death? I don't think so. We are assured that He will always be with us thru that journey which reflected in Psalm 23:4 (Eventhough I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me). So, should I say, death isn't bad at all? We have our own opinions and beliefs but whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord in heaven. (Romans 14:8 - If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord).

Integrity, as defined in Wikipedia is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expections and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulnessof one's action. The definitions seems to be easy to understand but the question is, do we have this positive trait? Our integrity can be measured on the number of promises we have done against the quantity of which we have broken. When we have integrity, we are respected and we have self respect.

This word defines who we are, on what kind of relationship we have to others and how they look into us. This also sometimes serves as a basis and list of all our positive attitudes but it also damages our testimony if we did something that is not on that list, meaning we commited a mistake. It also determines how we react in a situation whether if it is full of pressure or in the midst of crisis. Integrity has four major roles in our life:

1. Blesses Us. In Proverbs 20:7 (The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after Him), it describes here that if we are obedient to all His commands and teachings, an overflowing of blessings will be given to us. We should walk in faith with Him and let Him lead us to His path.

2. Judges Us. Job 31:6 - "Let God weigh me in honest scales and He will know that I am blameless". In everything we do, we are answerable to all our actions and these actions will evaluate us how we live our life and what kind of relationship we have with Him. We should always be consistent and don't fall on negativity and don't let others influence you.

3. Protects Us. Psalm 25:21 - "May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you". Once we have integrity, we are protected as we are bound with all the positive attitudes for showing our values and honesty to everyone. As long as we are doing the right thing, we don't have to worry on what will will happen the next day as we have Him in our life.

4. Guides Us. Proverbs 11:3 - "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity." By doing only right things all the time will provide us a guide in every situation. Since the experience of being with Him and living in a rightful way, our decision making becomes matured, more passionate in doing good things and that we have these guidelines on every action we take.

In this fast pacing world right now, we might encounter several situations where choices can be made on how to react on it. With our conversation to others and all the words we are using, are we honest enough? Integrity is a simple word with variety of explanations and definitions but I think the simple way to have it is to do the right things all the time. I admit that I am still a work in progress and it's not easy but we have options and we have God who is always watching us.

[hiswords.carlomalbas.com] Before, I really don't understand the purpose of fasting but with the help of the Joseph unit I was able to understand it more. With the power of prayers and a bit of sacrifice, you will feel fulfilled and will be amazed on the outcome and result of such process. Most of us when we say fasting, the first thing that comes to our mind is about giving up foods. It was actually correct, the bible explains us the true meaning of fasting and it was defined in Esther 4:15-16 ( 15) Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16) “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”)

But in this modern world, I was informed that fasting may come in different form such as putting a little sacrifice or giving up non super important things for a period of time such as leisure or hobbies or anything that we can't stop doing everyday. As Christians it is not always about prayer, sometimes prayer plus fasting is good combination as it helps us to seek God's righteousness, His wisdom, His will and strength.

Psalm 35:13 - Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting, When my prayers returned to me unanswered

Last December, I fasted for a week by giving up all meat and rice and noodles. I am praying for the immediate recovery of a relative who helped us before in times of our crisis duing my childhood and school days. After a week, still the prayer was unanswered so I spoke to God and showed Him that my full trust is in Him and I believe He has a plan for everything. On the 2nd of January, I fasted again but this time, I was digitally dead for a week - no Facebook, no Twitter and no Foursquare. On my 6th day, I received a news that He was doing fine and ready to leave the hospital! I was so delighted hearing those words from my mother and I praised and thanked Him!

Last night was another caregroup session for Joseph 1. Again, I have learned a lot of things from His words and truly it was really amazing and fulfilling. The topic was about on how we can restart or refresh our relationship with Him. It was a fit topic as it was the first CG of the year and we just faced 2011. The main verse of the night was:

Isaiah 43:18-19 - 18) Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19) See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

It was very clear that we should forget the past and live with the present and continue to look forward. In order to accomplish this, we have to consider these three things:

1.) Change focus - We should now create and try to accomplish something new and focus to those things who will improve us with all the aspects whether if it is personal, career and especially relationship with Him. By changing focus we can move forward.
2.) Do not allow previous failures to meddle in our life - By forgetting the past doesn't mean we really have to forget those previous moments, we just need to learn from those experiences. Live a new life and avoid redoing past mistakes.
3.) Avoid depending on past victories - Don't stop dreaming! With all the accomplishments that we had previously, it is better to add more on the list, aim higher. Don't be contented with what you have and it is not bad to look for better and more victories as long as the intention is good.

Psalm 51:10 - Create in me a pure heart, Oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

We shouldn't be afraid about tomorrow and we should claim that this is the year of favor and victory for us. Let's renew ourselves in all the things especially with our relationship to Him. We are blessed that we have a chance to start and have a new beginning in our every failure or every chapter of our lives. This is because He is with us always. We can always have a brand new start with God if we will obey Him, acknowledge Him and follow Him. We should keep moving and move forward in the Lord as every new step will unfold more wisdom and more holiness in our lives. Let us set goals according to the word of God and start to look ahead of things. Be excited for new things that will be revealed to us in the coming days.

Psalm 3:14 - I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

As for me, after all those trials that happened, I was able to move on and started to build a new me. During those times, I believed that it will end as every beginning has an end and in vice versa, every end has a new beginning. We always have a chance to improve and rewrite another chapter of our existence. This blog is actually a fresh start to deepen my relationship with Him and share to others how great He is!

Last night, we had a devotion about the way God watches us every minute, every hour and every day. It was actually my first time to read verses from Job and I had difficulty in understanding it, honestly. After my UL and CL texted us to read the verse I immediately looked for it from the internet and whoa! Nosebleed! I can't really understand it even if I read it from context and done almost 20 times of reading it. Here are the verses:

Job 7:18-19 - 18) that you examine him every morning and test him every moment? 19) Will you never look away from me, or let me alone even for an instant?

It was a good thing that we had a discussion with the Joseph unit before the CG prep and my mind was opened to the real meaning of it. We are favored in His eyes, that He secures us and ensures that we are doing the right thing and follow his commands. Yes it is everyday and we are blessed to know and feel that He is always there to guide us and check on us every minute.

As said by Frevy, God is like a father who still loves his son despite the wrong doings and misbehavior at some instances. As mentioned by Liway, we are blessed because He loves us, there is no moment He leaves us and let us do anything that we want. He is always there to remind us reveal to us the good path towards to Him. As mentioned by She, we will only be blessed if we follow His commands. As mentioned by Clai, He is also like a chef that watching over the dishes He is cooking and never leave a single minute to ensure that the food will be served. Here is another verse about Him watching us.

Psalm 32:8 - I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

Isn't it very comforting to know that we have a Him in our everyday life, in our every action, in every moment whether failure or victory? He is not just there to watch but also to listen and instruct us. I feel really blessed!