Por NO!

I was just searching the net to download stuff… suddenly, the screen popped naked pictures of women. The whole world knows this is not new neither you were floored when you saw one. It was just TODAY, it hit me. I am deeply saddened by women who sell themselves to pornography and felt like had a burden to cry things out in this page. I just hope and pray, this message will reach them as much as my heart wants to weep with theirs. And if that is you, I hope this will reach you wherever you are at right now.

Darling, you might have had experienced assaults, depression, pain, and damages in your life that have caused desperation and led you to this. But I just want you to know, that you are loved. You are beautiful. Your face is not a stranger to a Person who died for you 2000 years ago. Did you know that?  Yes, someone died for you. His name is Jesus. You probably might not have realized it, but the name you sometimes use as an expression when you are in pain or angry, is the Name that you can only find comfort and find new life. Who doesn’t want a fresh start? It’s never too late to quit from sinning. There is still hope. Don’t be ashamed of your past, together with Jesus can build new from your past failures. The Bible says, “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, 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. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Jesus died for your sins so that you can live. After 3 days he rose again to show that death or sin has no stronghold in your life any longer. You are free. You are given a new life. He believes in you. You have a great destiny to fulfil. Would you accept him?

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)

 “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)

PSALM 51

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

¹⁸ May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
¹⁹ Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

A Woman’s Question

A Woman’s Question

Do you know you have asked for the costliest thing
Ever made by the Hand above?
A woman’s heart, and a woman’s life—
And a woman’s wonderful love.

Do you know you have asked for this priceless thing
As a child might ask for a toy?
Demanding what others have died to win,
With a reckless dash of boy.

You have written my lesson of duty out,
Manlike, you have questioned me.
Now stand at the bars of my woman’s soul
Until I shall question thee.

You require your mutton shall always be hot,
Your socks and your shirt be whole;
I require your heart be true as God’s stars
And as pure as His heaven your soul.

You require a cook for your mutton and beef,
I require a far greater thing;
A seamstress you’re wanting for socks and shirts—
I look for a man and a king.

A king for the beautiful realm called Home,
And a man that his Maker, God,
Shall look upon as He did on the first
And say: “It is very good.”

I am fair and young, but the rose may fade
From this soft young cheek one day;
Will you love me then ‘mid the falling leaves,
As you did ‘mong the blossoms of May?

Is your heart an ocean so strong and true,
I may launch my all on its tide?
A loving woman finds heaven or hell
On the day she is made a bride.

I require all things that are grand and true,
All things that a man should be;
If you give this all, I would stake my life
To be all you demand of me.

If you cannot be this, a laundress and cook
You can hire and little to pay;
But a woman’s heart and a woman’s life
Are not to be won that way.

- Joshua Harris, I Kissed Dating Goodbye

Letter Sent!

I will never forget this lovely woman who prayed for me after blessing me more than a dozen of A Long Love Letter books by Margaret Ruth Baker.

“I can’t believe it. Why do you give all these for free? I mean it’s such a nice book!” I asked, “Because it’s the Word of God, and it needs to be spread out, to be known. That is what we need do,” she replied.

I will be forever grateful with your life and your ministry.

Although my back started to hurt carrying the books all the way home (not to mention the checked-in books, I still have hand-carried ones.), I knew helping them and obeying God making His name known to the ends of the earth is the best job ever. Ha ha! Just today, I found out that the book is like $13-15 dollars on the Internet. I got more than 10 for free. Boom! How is that!?

Inside the book:

Love of Mine, you have been faithful over a little and now I set you over much. I have found you trustworthy and dependable and faithful in your love for Me. Your being faithful is a gift of your love to Me. Because of your faith in Me, you gladly step out in faith and joyfully follow My leading. Your faith and trust will grow as you find Me totally trustworthy and faithful. It is a very necessary and needed part of love — to have confidence in one another. Thank you, for your confidence, My faith full, faithful Bride. - God (I Will Give You A New Life, Chapter 4)

How Can We Know?

You say, I’m being attacked by the enemy here and there.  Admittedly, sometimes we overuse that. One time or another we all have fallen into this trap. If not being under-spiritual, we become overly spiritual.

Here’s what I have learned from Dean’s Sherman’s book:

How can we know when it is the devil, and not just circumstances? How can we avoid that extreme of seeing demons behind everything that goes wrong? The answer is to simply ASK GOD. Don’t assume that it is the devil’s work, but don’t refuse to acknowledge it may be his doing. Just ask God to show you what is going on. He has promised to guide us.

“But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)

“…to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues” (1 Corinthians 12:10)

Another truth with which we must equip ourselves is: WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST

To say we are Christian is not enough. We must believe God in His declaration of who we are.

NO to Israel Partition!

How Long Will You Wait?

Scripture: Judges 6:11-18

¹¹ The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. ¹² When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”

¹³ “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

¹⁴ The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

¹⁵ “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

¹⁶ The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

¹⁷ Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. ¹⁸ Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.” And the LORD said, “I will wait until you return.”

Observation:

Gideon was called by God while he was threshing wheat in a winepress. Threshing means to separate grains or seeds, like God separating good and evil. Because of His jealous love, he has not forgotten His people. He wants to take us from the pit we’ve fell in to.

v.12 We are mighty warriors because the Lord is with us. It’s not about how strong the enemies are but it’s about who we fight with. He knows who you are and what you can do. And when he says YOU ARE A WARRIOR, He means it.

Gideon’s reply:

v.13 “Pardon me, my lord… but if…” IF is a supposition, or uncertain possibility. Gideon was uncertain about the future. He thought God abandoned and forgotten them, the people of Israel. We only feel God’s presence when blessings and favors are on us. There are times in our life that we thought God abandoned us especially in times of difficulties. We become afraid, drowned by the uncertainties and seemingly hopeless situations. In v.15, Gideon threw a lot of questions like most of us do when problems come in. Our “WHY” moments. But did God answer any of it? Let’s read the next verse:

v.14 Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” God doesn’t need to explain, but when He says the GO, you follow. No explanations needed. You will understand why when you obey. Know that obedience is never convenient. We may not understand but it’s for our own good. When you obey, convenience will take place after you follow.

Notice whenever God says GO, the next thing is HE WILL USE YOU.

v.15 “Pardon me, my lord… but how…” God answers in v.16: “I care for you. My concern is you not responding to My call. It is I who will be with you… this day I say you are strong because I am with you. It is not your family background, past, and achievements that defines you. Not even failures can dictate your capabilities. I will use you in which way I want to! You ask me HOW? I am the Answer. Look at Me, not the situation. If you think you are weak, I will show you that my power is made perfect in weakness, and by My power you are strong. My power working in you will display my glory to all people so that they will fear me and know that I am the one and only true God. You see, my child, it is all about Me. The ME who wants YOU so bad to become one with ME. Now, because of my jealous love, I have come.”

v. 17

Sometimes we doubt if it is God who speaks to us because what we believe and expecting is way too different from what He says. It pierces our flesh that makes it difficult for us to obey or believe. Sometimes God reveals a revelation that is too great for us to comprehend, too big for our hands to grasp, or too heavy for our hearts can contain. Our faith sometimes is limited to what we think only that are possible to happen. You do not believe because people might say you are going nuts. In this verse, I remember the type of prayer we sometimes lay down before God. How are your prayers? Do we pray beyond what we can imagine to happen? Or we pray only for the things that we think are possible? It’s different. Do you still believe in the salvation of your parent who turned from God and curses you when you go to church? Salvation of a drug addict who says “there is no God”? Do you believe the most deprived country today will reach the top in the next few years? Do you believe you will get a Lexus car next year? How about a trip to Europe next year? Easy to say YES, but will you push through in prayers having the faith to receive? Why not! Where can your faith bring you? Everything is possible. Pray without limits! How do we react when a prayer was being answered beyond what we asked for?

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

v. 18 Gideon adds “Please do not go away until I come back…”

I do not know about Gideon but if it was me, probably I would say… “I’ll think about it, maybe it’s not really You talking to me. Maybe it’s just me making my ‘self-made promises’ from God. I’ll come back to You when I get to settle everything.” Compromising takes over, and I make God wait.

And then the next line hit me… What did God say?

“I will wait until you return.” Thank God. He originates the word PATIENT. He does not want anyone empty handed. He does not want anyone to perish. (Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9) He says “My promise will remain. It is already written for My purpose. It is only waiting. All this time… thought you were waiting… but it is the promise waiting for you. Claim it, it is yours. Battle is won, mighty warrior.”

Joshua 18:3 “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of fathers, has given you?”

Application: That promise is already GIVEN. Salvation. Deliverance. Joy. Peace. Promotion. Life. God is crazy about us giving His promise. Believe in His character. Believe that He is able. We are not in the position to understand all things but be grateful… we have a God we can rely and trust. He never forgets. And the blessings, is not for ours only to claim, but to glorify God more in our lives. The promise is He Himself, the best reward in life.

Prayer: Dear God, I ask for my spiritual eyes and ears to be open. Give me the grace to always choose to trust you even in times of silence. Thank You because You are forever faithful. I love You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

How Do God Speak To Us?

“‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 29:13:14

Many non-believers wonder why Christians always say “God told me…,” or “God spoke to me…” How does it happen? Do Christians really hear God’s voice and have close conversations? God has His own way of speaking to us:

He speaks through our heart. But how will we know if it’s really His voice or only our instincts? A Christian goes through a long process of knowing God. When you accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and spend lots of time to know God more, you will get a “signal” to contact Him, guaranteed always available, anytime of the day! And how do we get to know Him? By reading Bible regularly and absorbing his Word by heart, then you’ll find out how God moves. The Holy Spirit will generously come down for you to open your heart’s eyes to see God’s purpose for you. Holy Spirit will let your heart’s ears open for God’s voice.

Through people around us. We may not be aware but God gave us people who will bring us closer to Him. It could be your church pastors, church mates, colleagues, and friends. Consider them our today’s living prophets. They exist because God let them be part of you and YOU be part of them (and not someone to fool around with!) It is for us to be inspired, to be blessed, and to be a blessing.

Through problems. By being familiar with God’s voice, we won’t be clueless on what’s our life is gonna take. Remember that not at all times our roads in life are straight, but we will still to experience bumpy roads that will shape our character. If you can’t hear His voice maybe your heart is jam-packed with self-seeking judgments. Take time to pray, intimately, and repent when you’ve sinned.

Don’t rely on your instincts, consult God. Always pray in whatever, whichever situation it might be. And when we have finally got His answer, the most important thing to do is, do as we are told by God. Remember that obedience leads to success. It may not always what as we expected but every circumstances that take event in our lives has a reason. Don’t be afraid to hold the steering-wheel because it is not you who drives the car, it is God.

Fascinating isn’t? There are innumerable languages around the world, yet God speaks to us in extraordinary ways.