Thursday, August 15, 2013
Servanthood
This post is from my first (serious) spiritual leader, Theo Villa. The teaching seems to be very timely as we are building a lifegroup (and hopefully church soon) here in Dubai and serving God in this location is a big challenge but a great opportunity.
Servanthood (John 2:1-12)
Serving God is an invitation to all [ver 1-2]
Matthew 9:37-38 (TNIV) - (Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.")
- Everyone of us is called to serve God. His invitation goes out to everyone regardless of age, sex, education background, family background or profession.
- Everyone has a role to play in his kingdom
Serving God requires willingness to serve [ver 4]
God has given us gifts... gift of leadership, gift of music, administration... and so on... but these are nothing if we are not willing to use it for the glory of God. Further more, God does not look at what we do best, but God looks at the willingness of our heart to do His will.
1 Samuel 16:7 (TNIV) - (But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things human beings look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.")
God knows what's on our heart... He knows your motives, he knows if you are scared, He knows if you are willing to be used by Him. Serve God because you are willing not because you are able to do things...
Serving God Requires Obedience ver [5-7]
- Obedience is a state of heart. You can obey your leaders but deep inside you grumble... You can obey some yet your mind would say... "My idea is better than yours"
- Obedience is humility... accepting others and respecting others.
- You obey your leaders because they are God's appointed Shepherds, leaders, & mentors... you obey them because you honor & respect them.
Serving God requires you to serve God First and then others.
- Your Master is Jesus...
- You serve Jesus when you serve others.
- You serve Jesus if you serve together with your leaders.
- You serve Jesus if you offer your talents & skills for His glory.
Serving God means Jesus first, serving others & lastly yourself. Serving God means to focus on God Himself.
Hebrews 12:1-2 (TNIV) - (Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, [2] fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.)
Serving God brings out the best in you [ver 9-10]
Serving God means:
- allow Him to use you
- allow Him to discipline you
- allow Him to transform you thru His Love
- allow Him to develop your character
- allow Him to discover your gifting
Many people will be blessed because you have serve God...
God will bless you and through you many people will be blessed... you will be a channel of blessing, an encourager, through you healing will come, through you many people will come to know Jesus.
Image taken from http://hudumacrc.org
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
One More Chance
Nope, this isn't about that famous movie about Popoy & Basha. This is about ourselves and the people around us. Everytime we meet new friends I am very sure that there will always be an inclusion about the past, yesterday or last month or last year. Behind those closed doors were absolutely some mistakes and misfortunes, no exceptions. Each one of us has that past sins and adversities that somehow taught us in order to live a better life.
Given that fact, we can still encounter some people who choose to isolate theirselves and feel so sorry about those things they did "once upon a time". Also in our end, we sometimes feel ashamed of the wrong actions that we did long time ago and we are letting this dark shadow to haunt us. This kind of emotion can be a result of how are we looking into past and focus on those mistakes that will lead us to fear about judgment and the feeling of guilt.
But the best question is how our Father sees us? This my friend I can tell you that his lenses are always clean, no spots. He always sees us in the image of crystal clear water, no dirt and no bacteria. All of the past mistakes have been vanished upon seeking forgiveness and that should make us guilt free on how we look inside into our hearts. A better way to understand the deeper meaning of forgiveness is can be seen in John 8:1-11. It is about a woman who was caught committing adultery but Jesus did not judge her, instead total forgiveness and new chance was given.
Aside from that, there is grace that is always available and "free" for everybody. We know that if we commit mistakes, we hurt Him but since He has this unending love for us then we can be assured that there is no condemnation. Once we accept that forgiveness that He offers then we are certain that new chance and new beginning is in the making. Second chances are always best as we have the tendency to be better and these chances help us to strengthen our faith and cultivate a deeper relationship with Him. Everybody deserves a second chance.
Image taken from 1loveforchrist.com
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
What to Expect When You Are Expecting
Oh yeah the title seems to be about pregnancy but it is not. It is basically how to up lift our hope and expectations when we are asking something from God. I remember when my job in Barclays Capital ended, I prayed for a job that doesn't have a job rotation so that I don't have to work at night. After few weeks, my prayer was granted but I forgot to mention Him that I did not want to be an "on call support". But my new job that time required me to be available for any system malfunction at night. Then I remember a preaching from a pastor before that we should pray for the exact things that we want and not too vague.
When we are talking and praying to God and basically asking something, we should be more specific and don't settle for less. Sometimes, we hesitate to pray specifically because we don't have enough faith that anything is possible; we put in our mind that any prayer results will be just fine. Even Jesus prayed a specific item during His execution (Luke 22:42 - “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”). He sets himself to accept the Father's will, but he prays for deliverance. To help us pray more effectively, I have enumerated some things that we should always remember:
- Anything is Possible with Him. Oh yes, He has unlimited power and can reach anything. (Luke 18:27 - Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”)
- Pray with Confidence. Stop being embarrassed for what you are praying for. Even if it is a partner in life, a better paying job or a new house in a famous village, be positive for the best answers. We should always be confident and that confidence starts with knowing that thru Him, we can do anything (Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all this through him who gives me strength")
- Strengthen your Faith. Believing into something that He promised us even it is not visible thru our eyes is a way of assurance from Him. Faith is one of the most important factors of our foundation and we should continue to hold on to it. (Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see")
- Prosper your Hope. Keep on asking for what you pray for until you heard His voice saying that "this is what I have prepared for you" and be assured that He has the perfect answers that resulted from our Hope that everything will be okay in His perfect time. Continue to ask without hesitations. (Luke 18:1 - "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up")
Image taken from powertochange.com
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Making a Stand on Your Principles
Last Sunday, on my way back to Dubai via Singapore Airlines, I watched a documentary about the biggest Hindi festival. It showed there how far a believer can go just to prove their faith and make a stand on their religion. There was a man who gave up his right hand by raising it for 20 years. The other was not sitting down for 10 years. I was amazed by their conviction and I respect their own belief and ways to show it.
For sure you have seen some Christians who are ready to pay heavy price to stand for what they believe. But are we ready if we are the one being tested? How prepared are we in facing such situations and overcoming the fire? We should always be careful in what we do and how it may affect others as we might commit mistakes that will eventually result into negative atmosphere. Some real life examples include: (1) you are residing in a house where in another room, an unmarried couple is living together (2) upon entering Singapore, you lied about the question "what is your purpose" and instead of telling the truth [to look for a job] you will say "to spend holiday and pleasure". (3) You watched a concert of your idol rather than going to a Sunday service or weekly lifegroup
With above examples, how will you stand about marriage first before anything else; the rule on not telling lies; idolatry should be avoided and He should be the priority. Well, we should be careful in giving opinions as we might be labeled as judging others. The most important thing that we can do is to stay strong in our belief and faith by continuously avoiding such things and situations. 1 Corinthians 16:13 (Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.) commanded us to be firm and brave when confronted by questions and doubts. Another thing is to provide concrete and biblical advice but never degrade others' morale. In bible, there are characters who gave up their lives just to prove and stand firm on their principles. We should also have a very strong foundation and be surrounded by people who can contribute towards Christian maturity.
Let us also remember that we always have Him and that we are not alone in this fight as stated in 2 Chronicles 20:17 (You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you). I am not telling you to literally give and risk your life to prove that you are worthy and can protect the teachings and beliefs to the full extent. Understanding your purpose and believing that everything should be complied biblically is a good start in showing it. We also have the priceless and most powerful tool in the world: prayer which brings us closer to Him and an opportunity to talk to Him and seek guidance, protection and wisdom.
Image courtesy of daletedder.wordpress.com
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Results of Lack of Prayer
Prayer is one of the most powerful tools that we have in our life. It is an essential part of being a Christian and be ensured that our walk with Christ is in a progressive and correct path. The best thing we can do is to put prayer in our priority list and include it in our daily routine. We should spend some time alone with Him not just in times of need but also for comfort and guidance.
I admit that for the past few weeks, I've been lazy about my daily morning devotions and my prayer time was slowly diminishing. Because of this, I snapped that resulted to discomfort and a tiring environment for me. My OCD things were becoming a hindrance in my "regular" routine. For no reason, I had to close and open the every door for five times. During my sleep, I woke up every two hours just to wash my hands and ensure that it is clean. I even cleaned my room at midnight and didn't care even if it takes me until early morning to finish. I also bought a handy vacuum cleaner just to be sure that every dust in my room will be cleaned instantly. It was so tiring but when I asked myself, "What is going on with me? Why is this happening again?" I assessed myself and found out that I haven't been talking to Him for quite some time because I became busy with work and other stuffs. I started to pray hard again and my devotion is now on track and I have recovered from these nasty OCD things.
I realized that prayers really help that it can lift your burden and reveal to you the wonderful things around you. It also helps us to make a wiser decision and have a clear mind in every step we take. In Matthew 11:28-30 (28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”) states that He is just waiting and He is always ready to lift us up and find rest in His presence. Without prayers will make us very weak and can leave us confused about everything.
Also, be reminded that if we are lacking of intimate communications with Him, we become a primary target of the enemy. They have several stages on how to feel us unworthy. First, they will discourage us that will lead to losing our hope that will result to doubt. Then if we are doubting, we can be in the state of disillusionment and they will whisper to us, "where is your God?", "you are unworthy", "stop being a Christian" and if we listen to these lines, we have no other way but towards to great disaster.
Let's keep into our mind, heart and soul that prayer isn't just about asking for something from Him but it also for our own comfort in times of needs, we find rest and most importantly, it is our surviving tool and this tool is our way for getting the correct assistance, guidance and protection. God is so generous that he always gives us a new beginning so why don't we start now to put back prayer in our priority list.
Image taken from petersaysstuff.blogspot.ae
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Gratitude and Prayer
Last night, I was able to attend the Hope Filipino Dubai lifegroup. Hope was my church in Singapore that opened my path into Him that resulted to personal relationship with Christ. I was so glad to know that finally, there is a lifegroup here in Dubai that will have the same spirit as to what I have experienced in Singapore. Though the lifegroup setup last night wasn't the same as the Singapore "version", it was a good start for me since it was only the 2nd gathering and we don't have a ministry house yet. Nevertheless, we had a fruitful discussion over dinner. That night, I was reminded of two major points during our sharing session.
First, we must/need/should thank God for everything. Not just for blessings and good happenings in our lives but also the challenges. As I shared before here in my blog, problems and adversities are good opportunities to get closer with Him. We might sometimes feel helpless and that there is no one else to run to but to Him. So for every obstacle in life, we should thank Him. For every pit stop in our journey to victory, let's take a pause and pray and thank Him for the opportunity of feeling His presence and guidance. The world isn't all about happiness and joyful moments. Time will come that we will be pulled out from our comfort zone to face "non-entertaining" parts of our lives. This is clearly stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus). These chapters of our life is not about punishing us but a reminder that He is always there for us, waiting to be called and waiting for a spare time that we might have. And besides, there is nothing we can't overcome if we have Him.
Second, I was reminded to pray not only for ourselves and family but also for others such as co-workers, friends, housemates, etc. We might sometimes forget that the people surround us have a great effect on our daily lives. If we are cornered by an angry person then everything around us can be messy. If a friend is having a problem, it consumes us, we got affected. If a housemate is in a bad situation, the atmosphere of the house will be polluted. We should also pray for them that everything will be okay and that God will give them the wisdom for every decision and to remind them the never ending love of God. Pray for their success and pray for a wonderful day. Verse 1 Timothy 2:1 (I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people) describes what kind of prayers we should do.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Obeying God's Words: How's Your Foundation?
The preaching last Thursday service was about obeying God's words. It was actually a very powerful message. I was actually telling to myself, 'Uh oh, Lord you are talking to me again!' Basically, when it comes to prayer and pouring of blessings, we immediately claim them and we say, 'Oh Lord, it is for me, I claim it, give it to me oh Lord!' but when commandments are being relayed, we ignore them and we say, 'Oh, this message is not for me, it pertains to others'. Claiming victories and blessings is so easy for us but when we were instructed to love your neighbors, do not judge others, give forgiveness, etc, we tend to point our eyes to others.
In these kinds of situations, we should check our foundation of faith. Do we have the strongest foundation that any instructions that He will give us, we will obey. Do we have the deepest foundation that we believe that any adversities and challenges will pass and we will be victorious? The main verse on that service was Luke 6:46-49. Basically, there are three things that we should know and check about our foundation:
- Foundation is important when we obey God (Luke 6:46-47 - "46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like."). Obeying God should be easy and listening to His words is far different from living them. We read the bible but do we apply it into our lives? We call Him our Lord and the source of everything but why we are not putting Him on top of our priority list? Why are we giving Him divided attention? Following His commands will be as easy as natural thing once we have that faith and trust in Him that have been cultivated from our foundation. Most Christians will face a command that isn't easy to understand but the perfect way to respond to it is to follow and be reminded that He has the widest understanding and that He sees everything so there is no way but to follow the commandment and the lessons behind it should be applied into our daily living.
- Foundation will be tested (Luke 6:48 - "They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built."). Challenges are inevitable and these are one of the tools that He uses to give us a chance to get closer to Him and not to harm us or destroy us. The foundation will be tested to check if we have our full trust and faith on Him. We should never give up and face these tests knowing that we are not alone. That we have Him and that everything has a purpose. The best example of this attitude is Job's life (Job 23:10-11 - "10 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. 11 My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.") That despite those unfortunate things that happened to him, his faith was indestructible and was strong as ever.
- Foundation dictates the outcome of what it built (Luke 6:49 - "But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.") If our foundation is not that strong, then the result can be easily identified: we might give up, turn to our own understanding and rely to our own strength that can lead to more negative things. But if we have a strong foundation, everything will be easier and everything that surrounds us will be a testament of how great He is.
Foundation of faith is like the foundation of a house that is being built. If it is so deep then it can't be shaken but if it is shallow then you know what will happen. We might sometimes need to check our foundation and categorize if it needs minor repair, major repair or total destruction. Building a strong foundation takes time so we should be careful with it and ensure that we are surrounded with people and things that can help us to enhance and improve it.
Image taken from colindye.com
Monday, April 8, 2013
Attention! (Says the Lord)
Imagine yourself in a room alone, concentrating on your writing tasks and suddenly you heard an alarming sound. Definitely your attention will be reverted to that noise and you will check what it is and what the cause of such sound is. If you are crossing the street and a police officer whistled and stop you, will you be alarmed? If you are in the office and so busy reading your Facebook timeline when your boss came into your desk, will you be get attentive? Surely the answer is yes. There are many ways on how this world can get our attentions and can wake us up in the midst of daydreaming or imagining a happy vacation. We get attentive when something is not working according to our plans. We lost our focus by a sound, a situation and a powerful thing.
Our Lord has special ways of getting our attention. We might feel in distress and might feel that we have a restless spirit that sometimes you don't know what to do and how to overcome such situation. There could be someone that will tell you powerful words that can help us to recognize that something is wrong. Or some challenges that will make us stop and ask ourselves: is there something that He wants to tell me? Did I do something wrong? You want to say something to me Lord? Let's read Deuteronomy 1:42-44 (42 But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’” 43 So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. 44 The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah.)
In the above verses, Lord is showing us to always seek Him and listen to Him carefully. One of his tools in getting our attention is unanswered prayer for us to sharpen our faith and trust in Him. The difficulties in our lives can also reveal to us that He is calling us and He wants something from us. The failures that we are experiencing are also His way of telling us that we didn't listen to Him and now He has our attention. But we should be reminded that He has the best plans for us and He acts in our best interests. This is a reminder that in our problems and tragedies, He is waiting for us to seek Him and listen to His words as we might be getting busy in our life in the modern world that sometimes we forget Him. We get preoccupied and we focus on the things that are happening in our lives that is causing a divided attention towards Him. Nevertheless, let's not forget that victory and failure is part of our lives that are poking us and reminding us that our Father waits for us, seeking our attention as sometimes He gets jealous.
Image from deafexpressions.blogspot.com
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
What to do with Criticisms?
Recently, I did an action that might be questionable to others and that might lead to be criticized by other Christians. But I don't want to argue about it since it was my personal decision and declaration and I believe that my relationship with Him is as strong as before or even stronger. In Christian life, we can't escape criticisms from others; on why we are doing the things we do and what our real intentions are. These kinds of questionings might lead to conflict with others and we will be tested on how we will act and respond on it. How can we handle such situations and what are the godly ways to do it? How can we show that despite those damaging words and thoughts, we can still avoid great conflicts?
The best examples and answers to these questions are visible in Paul's life. If you will read Philippians 1:12-18 (12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. 15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice), you will see how Paul reacted on the criticisms of other members of church in Rome. Despite those conflicts and questions of intentions, he still showed positive attitude towards it because he was confident that he is doing what God wanted him to do: it was to share words and gospel. On his letters, you will not see any harsh words; instead, he spoke of encouragement and resolution to avoid conflicts. He also did not defend himself but the words and his love of God were exposed. It was so unbelievable that even he was in chains, he still rejoiced and celebrated the joys of being with Christ.
In real life, there will be people who will bring us down and can lead to loss of focus. The best thing that we can do is to look upon Him and clear out our hearts and offer Him the greatest praise. Some criticisms can be hurtful and painful but in His arms, there will be rest and peace. Don't act negatively and don't ever think about of revenge and vengeance. The most important thing is that we know from ourselves that our intentions are clean and that no harm will be put in our relationship with Christ. But in some instances, we can accept suggestions from others and check ourselves if we might need some corrections with our actions. But these things should never ever lead to doubt and loss of faith. Ask God for help and stay intact with your beliefs and understanding. As the song goes, "and if our God is for us, then who can stand against?"
Image taken from spacedragons.com
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Gratitude and Appreciation
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
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Love Yourself First
I am very sure that sometimes, we treat ourselves into something extravagant; maybe to reward ourselves or to cheer us up during unpleasant moments. It could be a sumptuous lunch or dinner in an expensive restaurant, a new gadget to play with or signature shirts and apparels or even a vacation to other country. There is nothing wrong with those things, yes, we should love ourselves and should validate our own worth. But there are better ways on how we should love ourselves that doesn't involve material things and spending our money.
In Galatians 5:13-14, it says there - "13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” For sure we have all heard "love your neighbor" but we normally don't pay attention to "as yourself". We start loving ourselves by acknowledging that we are children of God and created according to His image. A spiritual leader once asked me, what is my relationship with God and I answered, "a friend" on which he said that it wasn't wrong but it did not fully explore myself worth. We must be reminded that He is our Father and that's how we should treat ourselves, love ourselves; that we are worth of His every plans and blessings. He has provided us everything and we should take care of ourselves.
Ask yourself this, how can we fulfill all His plans for us if we don't even know what our status is and image on His eyes? Loving ourselves is very essential to His will. Once we dislike or condemn ourselves, we will feel unworthy of all the blessings and things that He is giving to us. Then doubt and casting ourselves away from Him might come next. We are unique to each other by the talents that He gave us on which we should use to contribute to His kingdom. God given abilities are important factor in our Father's goal and it should be our goal too once we have a righteous love for self. Be proud that we are His children and stick into our minds all the promises that He has for us.
There might be consequences and challenges in our lives right now but one thing for sure is that He has plans for us and we should not give up. We will achieve those goals once we recognize our worth unto Him.
Image taken from lesserevillife.com
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Mending a Broken Heart thru HIM
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
Monday, February 4, 2013
All About Positivity
Isn't it great that when you wake up in the morning, positive vibrations are embracing you that will make the entire day full of happiness? Actually, we are the one who decides this kind of instance. We should be thankful that God gave us another day to enjoy His presence and witness the beauty of the world. We have known that this game called life has a straight and short path towards to His Kingdom but it has a lot of challenges and obstacles that we must overcome and believe me, they aren't easy. But the good thing is that we have the power to cultivate positive thinking and looking every situation in the positive side, that's positivity and optimism.
When you are happy at the start of the day, good things will come next. Love can easily be shown to others and a smile can erase a frown. Can you imagine yourself with a sad face the entire day? That is really bad; don't let the situation crush you. In Proverbs 17:22, it says there that "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." If you will let others define your day, then it will only lead to a bad thing. We can start our day by a prayer and reading the bible. It is really good to have devotion in the morning (though I'm not saying night time isn't good) because your mind and heart are still fresh and it feels so good to feed them His words and a joyful soul will follow.
Also, don't worry about everything. Be confident that He will always be there to guide us and that we should be thankful for the blessings that we are receiving instead of questioning of what we don't have. Worrying will not add a single minute into our lives so why waste it? As they say, time is gold and it also says in Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." He is just there, waiting for us to ask and a simple thanks will fill His heart with gladness. It is always better to be positive than negative.
For the past few weeks, I've been very sad for no apparent reason (uhmmm, maybe because I was sick hehe) but I think I had some obstacles and I am very happy as I was able to overcome them. There is nothing I cannot do without His help (Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all this through him who gives me strength"). I was having this feeling of negativity but I said, hey, why would I let this single thing ruin my day than to enjoy the life that He gave me? I must stand up and try to be the best person that I should be for His eyes. Believe me friends, it is always good to smile and have a positive outlook. It is your choice to be positive or negative about life, ask yourself, which will give you hope, strength and more wisdom? It is okay to be sad for a while (maybe 30 seconds) but remember these two important words: confidence and faith.
Image taken from enoughisenoughau.blogspot.com
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Fighting Temptation
In this modern world, we are surrounded by numerous amounts of temptations that aren't beneficial most of the time. In our Christian life, it is very important to understand how to fight them and how to overcome and put a stop on it before committing a sin. But first, we should be aware of that there is a huge difference between temptation and sin. In a straight discussion, temptations aren't always supposed to end with a sin. There is a white line in the midst of these two instances.
Temptation only involves the process of thinking that includes our heart, mind and body that could be a preparation for a sinful act to take place. There are a lot of things we can do to stop the growing temptation such as focus on other things, read the bible and ask for strength from Him. If you will read 1 Corinthians 10:13 (No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it), it can also be directly treated as a test.
Like problems, challenges and adversities, these temptations are just tests that will not only test our faith but will also assess how we respond to it and how we trust His directives. At the end of this situation, it always leads to a single question for ourselves: "Should I continue and act on this desire and temptation or not?" The answer is in our hands and we know from ourselves what should be the correct answer. I always say that prayer is our most powerful tool and it is and that the bible has all the answers to our questions. You know the ways on how to rectify and put a stop in committing sins and He is watching us. He will always give us way out of temptation. Sin doesn't happen immediately, it involves the result of a process.
These past few days I had this temptation but I opted not to entertain it. Instead, I focused on other things. I started with a prayer then I did the normal things such as watching television series and go to gym to workout. We should treat temptations as unwelcomed guests in our hearts and mind; don't let them control you and mess your day.
Image taken from thegospelcoalition.org
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