You make all things work together for MY good.

I was casually browsing some comic videos on YouTube, and this appeared on the Suggested Videos panel



In the middle of the video, until the end, they kept repeating:

"You make, ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR MY GOOD."

It's a coverage of a concert, so there were a LOT of repeats -- which, I could just hear God telling me: "You hear that son?"

Just as I was listening to it, I was reading my friend's blog: Believing the Unbelievable, with a post titled God's Plans vs. Mine. I won't be copying her whole post here, and I won't be giving much comments either. I believe her words are more than enough encouragement on how much God loves us to have anything LESS THAN PERFECT planned for us.

"Many are the plans in a man's heart; but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."-(Proverbs 19:21)

My plans are no match compared to God's plans for me. I'm actually excited for what God has in store for me for this season of my life. He's really a God full of surprises! He just surprised me yesterday that because of what happened,I might have to start my own clothing line already!AMAZING AND INDESCRIBABLE GOD.His right time is always perfect!Praying for it to happen if it is His will!In Jesus Name!:D All I can say is that we should not go before God, because we are nothing without Him in front of us.Don't let God follow us, we should be the ones following Him.OUR PLANS ARE NOTHING WITHOUT GOD IN OUR HEARTS.

I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. [8] The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever---do not abandon the works of your hands.-(Psalm 138:2,8)
These words helped me a lot last night!:">

-- Louie Yao

So many things are still swirling around my head right now, some are even trying to cloud over my heart -- BUT I refuse to stand down and let them overcome me. I don't need to worry about tomorrow, my future, what it holds, and how I'm gonna get there -- ALL I SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT IS HOW I CAN OBEY HIS EVERY COMMAND. He promised to bring us through, and He promised to be working in us until the day He comes back.

"God just reminded me that HE WILL NEVER EVER ABANDON ME!:) -- Louie Yao"

"Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? ... Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matt. 6:27;34)

Obedience is a constant choice we have to deal with EVERYDAY; we have enough trouble struggling to obey God FULLY today to even start worrying about Tomorrow. God holds my tomorrow; He has new commands for me to follow tomorrow -- I just have to take the commands a day at a time, and obey them fully through the power of His Holy Spirit.

I'll trust Your Heart

Was reading something off Tumblr, and these words jumped at me:

Life is not easy at times and we find ourselves having a difficult time with just running through the motions but that’s okay.

This morning, well afternoon actually, I woke up with a heavy heart. I don't really understand why, but I knew I was feeling something wrong -- either emotionally or spiritually -- something was just WRONG.

I tried praying, I tried seeking Him, but that downtrodden feeling of being overwhelmed by an inexplicable sadness and discontent still lingered. I did a very short and quite rushed devotion. He gave me John 16:33, the verse was familiar, so I just browsed through it and went on with my day.

Went to choir practice after, Mandarin Choir practice, still feeling heavy and unattached. We were practicing a cantata for Easter -- No Greater Love, in Mandarin of course. Then we practiced some songs to be sung for the next few Sundays, and since Lent is already underway, the songs were mostly about the Cross. I sang mindlessly. My Chinese has become rusty, so I was having a hard time following the lyrics; I focused on the notes, but the way people around me sang just keeps throwing me off. I was distracted to say the least. I saw EVERYTHING that could make me go crazy and act up -- all the while missing His love signals.

Got home, had dinner, and defaulted to surfing -- that's when I read a friend's Tumblr post.

I realized, I wasn't sad, I wasn't depressed -- I was tired. Tired of the mundane, or at least of the "regular." It was a constant up and down, a never ending cycle of being in peace and bliss and crashing into sin, disappointment and despair. I don't think I'm moving forward -- I think I'm just going through the motions.

So when I was reading my friend's post, I just had to show her this video:

It was my go-to song when trying to encourage people who just can't seem to find purpose in their Christian walk. So obviously, I had to listen to it again. That's when He made me realize that I am just really tired.

The world is not where we're supposed to be -- we're SAINTS -- citizens of Heaven, consequently, aliens on earth. It's tiring to live somewhere you're not at home in, it's tiring to be waiting on when you can return home, and it's definitely tiring to be battling all the time and not always winning.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

I took a second look at the verse He gave me this morning, and I noticed the words I skipped over -- Peace, Overcome the world.

I realized, all this hoopla of being discouraged and all was just my humanity acting up on the fact that I am still IN WAITING. Nothing much has changed since I posted about Waiting; I still am dealing with waiting. It was crazy of me to just write about it and forget about the things I wrote -- things He told me to help me deal with waiting.

I am tired. Yes. I am starting to be discouraged. Definitely. I have no idea where I'm going, and what progress (if any) I'm making. Sure.

BUT!

All these should NEVER be enough reason for me to stop SEEKING and drawing CLOSER to Him.

Just moments ago, I received a reply from a church mate. I emailed him last night to share with him my post on waiting, after hearing his sharing on how he's dealing with God and waiting on Him. His reply reads:

Thanks Ivan! Encouraging post, it helps to know someone else is going through the same thing.

Yea just have to be patient. See you at church!

Yes, PATIENCE. Funny how the most fundamental and basic lesson in waiting is the lesson I forgot! Maybe I deliberately did that, I've always been afraid of the word -- PATIENCE.

God is love, and His love is unfailing. Through His love, we are saved -- and by His love, we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS. Sure, the world gets me down, I get tired, I feel crazy, BUT, I have to exercise PATIENCE. It's all part of His plan -- a plan focused on LOVE FOR ME.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

"So when you don't understand, when you don't see His plan, when you can't trace His hand, TRUST HIS HEART."

Faith - Above and Beyond Reason

For the past few weeks, my devotions have been taking me on a journey through the Old Testament. (I just finished GENESIS! YEY.) Thing is, I realized, there were SO many things I never knew about Jacob, Judah, Joseph, Abraham, Isaac, etc.

See, when Sunday school teachers teach you (you in your Elementary days) about the lives of these people, they DO not include the ff.:

1. Lot and his daughters (Gen. 19: 30-36)

Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to give us children—as is the custom all over the earth. Let’s get our father to drink wine and then sleep with him and preserve our family line through our father.”

That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.

The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I slept with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.

So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today.

2. God actually saying that Jacob would be greater than Esau before Jacob deceived him and his father. (Gen. 25:23)

The LORD said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”

3. Commotion between Rachel and Leah, Jacob's wives. (Gen. 29:31-30:24)

*how they were bickering about who was loved more, how they plotted to be the "most loved," pleaded with God for children after children, etc.

4. Judah's first born son dying because of his wickedness. (Gen. 38:7)

 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death.

5. Onan's, Judah's second son, wickedness and his punishment. (Gen. 38:9-10)

But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death also.

6. Judah and her daughter-in-law. (Gen. 38:13-27)

*him sleeping with her, her pretending to be a prostitute, him not following their customs, etc.

These are just some of the things I had to read through TWICE to check if I was reading the right thing. (There were even somethings with Jacob and his dealings with his uncle Laban, Abraham and his wives, Noah and his life after the flood, Laban and his tricks -- and basically anything and everything that has to do with human deception and imperfections.) If I were to put down all of them, you won't even care to read through them -- it's going to be way too long.

Of course, the first thing I did when I encountered these was to PRAY. I was lost. I didn't understand why these would even be recorded, why these were even significant, let alone allowed (in the loose sense of the word.) So I kept asking, and this was what I got:

Son, I am the Alpha and the Omega -- I am not bound by anything, especially not by the actions and humanity of My creation. My will has been set way before any of these people even knew who I am. My understanding of things, you will never grasp. Son, all these I've placed in My Bible to show you how MY WILL WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL. 

I have great plans for My creations, for people, for you. But of course, you don't always obey Me. You have your own wills, and I respect that. However, do not for a second even think that your decisions, and your plans, will ever be able to mess up My grand design. Son, everything is still in My control -- everything would work out for My glory.

I don't expect you to be able to comprehend adding all these together -- My will, My perfect plan and Sovereignty, your actions, your desires, your sins, the consequences of your sins, the over-all effect of My design, and your individual lives -- and have them work together in harmony, a harmony that only I can orchestrate.

I did not call you to try and understand Me. I called you to be My saint, to have FAITH in Me.

The world has tons and tons of definition of what FAITH is, for me, it's but one thing: trusting in what I do not understand. As Hebrews 11:1 puts it,

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Sure, I don't understand, but one thing I know: He IS IN CONTROL. His sovereignty CANNOT be affected by our humanity.

Blessed Beyond Words (Part II): Matters of the Heart

I can't believe how MUCH God is being gracious in answering my prayer!

I found one of my best friends writing a blog:

http://thegirlhewants.wordpress.com/

For those of you who've been following my posts, I keep saying that I hope to achieve a sense of fellowship and community with this blog -- and He just keeps pouring in more people! He's allowed me to reach people I would never have met without His leading; and, He's re-connecting me with the people who mean a lot to me!

One of my best friends, whom I haven't heard from in like -- FOREVER -- have recently started blogging again. And it's just so overwhelming to hear how people very dear to you are doing, especially in their walk with God.

I can't believe I actually went through ALL (well, there were just 4, but still, ALL) her posts and couldn't stop myself from giggling and sighing all through the time I was reading! I was not only reading about how she's been lately, but I'm reading about how SWEET God has been to her! IT'S JUTS EXHILARATING! I WAS STOKED -- so of course, the only logical thing to do was WRITE ABOUT IT!

Check her blog out! I'll be posting a link to her blog (along with her blogger profile) on the "The Communion of Saints" drop-down page. Her blog is mainly about her relationship with God, and how God has been teaching her the truth in RELATIONSHIPS. Yup, it's a blog about love, heart-aches, Mr. Right, among other things a girl walking with God has to deal with. But NOPE, it's not exclusively for girls -- as brothers and sisters, co-saints, we learn from the way God speaks to each of us -- so I encourage you to check it out. Here's the link again: http://thegirlhewants.wordpress.com/

Grammar Nazi : Righteousness in Action

I, personally, am such a Grammar Nazi -- sadly, am the kind that also gets corrected a lot. Being corrected by one is not an unusual thing, I believe most, if not ALL of you have been corrected by one -- or is actually one correcting others! It got me thinking: Why is it not considered rude to correct someone of their English, but it's unethical to tell people that they're doing something not pleasing to God?

Okay, so I'm not saying we go out into the streets and call everyone SINFUL. I'm just bringing up the idea that somehow, we Saints have been ingrained with ethnological ethics so much that we've forgotten what Righteous Anger is. God hates the sin but not the SINNER.

We serve a RIGHTEOUS and JUST God, one who CANNOT TOLERATE SIN -- then how come, we, His children, are able to cope with sin SO WELL? It bugs me to realize that I'm actually more annoyed at people who don't know how to use DID + VERBS properly as compared to people swearing out loud. I just have this urge to shout at people who say things like: "What did you saw again?" But when people use vulgar words, I let them slide thinking that it's just a matter of self expression.

As Saints, we often associate being obedient with NOT COMMITTING SINS OURSELVES; We often forget, that we are called to be LIKE CHRIST: INTOLERANT OF SIN.

In the Old Testament, God punished Eli, the High Priest of Shiloh, not because he was wicked, but because his SONS were and HE DID NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT:

At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them. (1 Samuel 3: 12-13)

God does not only want us to be pursuing holiness, He wants us to encourage others too! In Ezekiel 3, the Bible even goes so far as to say:

When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. (Ezekiel 3:18)

We are called to be SAINTS, to be ambassadors of His love, and to SHINE for His glory. When a light is lit in a dark room, it dispels the darkness around it -- as Children of God, are we shining? Or are we being too tolerant of the world that we abuse the idea of "Christ loving the sinner?"

Yes, we are called to love, BUT the bible has a clear prescription of WHAT LOVING ENTAILS:

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. (Romans 12:9)

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ( 1 Corinthians 13:6)

The truth hurts, and true friends who love you, are not afraid to hurt you by telling the truth. We are called to LOVE, and loving someone means wanting what's best for them. I don't think allowing them to continue sinning and suffering the wrath of God is something one can do out of love.

When we tolerate sin, it's not God that we're pleasing.

"It's one of THOSE days."

These were the words I saw on Facebook the moment I went online:

it's those "I want to lock myself in my room" days

It's by a friend, I don't think I have the authority to share what she's going through, but one thing's for sure -- she's not the only one.

I can't tell you what she's dealing with, but I know one thing: it's one of those things that you just don't want to face. Locking yourself up in your room sounds really, REALLY tempting.

I've had my share of things I don't want to deal with, not that I can't, I just don't THINK I can. God promised us victory in Jesus Christ -- victory from everything! By His love, we are more than conquerors. But sometimes things just SEEM to be bigger than us, it's easy to forget how BIGGER our God is.

It got me thinking, maybe it actually is the right thing to do -- TO LOCK YOURSELF UP IN YOUR ROOM.

Our power, our strength, and our victory comes from Jesus Christ. We are useless on our own, only through Him are we capable of great things -- only through Him can we win over our sinful nature. So to win this battle, we have to be ON OUR KNEES. Jesus said:

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:6)

We are SAINTS; when saints lock themselves up in their rooms, it's to seclude themselves from the world -- from all its distractions -- and focus on God, on Him alone. In solitude and silence, we focus on Him, seek Him solely. The world is a noisy place, everyone has their own opinion; in moments of anguish, it's often overwhelming to deal with a lot of voices.

Yes, we should lock ourselves up in our rooms -- spend time in solitude praying and communing with God. He won't leave us nor forsake us, He will always be there. He's always ready to console, to guide, and to give answers -- but it's hard to listen to Him when we're distracted by the world.

I've had the song "We Are United" on replay on my iPod, and this line always sticks out: "We fight our battles on our knees." At first, I really liked that -- until today. Now? I say "We WIN our battles on our knees."

Go ahead, go to your room, and pray. He's just waiting for you to come away and spend time with Him.

"He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God'" Psalms 46:10

Still -- Hillsongs United

At The Foot of The Cross - Kathryn Scott

So today's Ash Wednesday.

Let's trade our "ashes in for beauty, and wear forgiveness like a crown."

Christ died so we could have life; He loved us though we were unworthy.

The least we could do is acknowledge His sacrifice and ponder upon the significance of the cross, His blood, and His resurrection in our lives.

Apologies vs. Repentance

SAINTS! LISTEN UP!

I've been talking with a dear Christian sister about our struggles with being human, with always falling short of His glory, and with always sinning and giving in to temptation. We talked about God's grace being sufficient, and His love never ending; BUT that doesn't mean we can just go on sinning. We came to a conclusion that goes:

"It's only by His grace that we are saved, and in that we should put our faith and trust on. That doesn't mean we should go about our shortcomings like a cycle of God-forgives so we-forget. What the stories in the Bible are telling us is that God is a God of second chances, and that He wants us to repent--sincerely repent. And to ask Him for grace not to be waived off our sins again, but to teach us to change, the way He wants us to."

Then it hit me: Have I been repenting, or only apologizing?

In the Oxford English Dictionary (Online) to repent is defined as:

"To review one's actions and feel contrition or regret for something one has done or omitted to do; (esp. in religious contexts) to acknowledge the sinfulness of one's past action or conduct by showing sincere remorse and undertaking to reform in the future."

("repent, v.". OED Online. December 2011. Oxford University Press. 22 February 2012 <http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/162742?rskey=EXLQZ8&result=4&isAdvanced=false>.)

For the most part, I've only been apologizing: saying SORRY. That's not what God wants!

Sure, He is pleased that we acknowledge our shortcomings and our faults and that we express remorse for them; but that's not enough. He asks for REPENTANCE not APOLOGIES. Apologies are great, they are the first step to repentance: recognizing that we are wrong and that we need help; but repentance goes further than that. Repentance entails a complete turn around -- we stop walking in the direction we're going, and turn back to go to where He wants us to go! Apology is just stopping in our tracks and staying there, that's not what He wants.

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:17)

Jesus did not say "Apologize for your sins! For the kingdom of heaven has come near." NO, He said: REPENT.

Also, listen to Paul in Acts 20:21, he says:

I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

He did not tell the Jews and the Greeks to "turn to God and apologize," he said REPENT.

When we sin and then repent, we are just doing what we're supposed to: we fall, so we have to get up. However, abuse of His grace comes when we sin and we just keep apologizing and think we're OKAY by virtue of His grace.

Apology is not repentance, if it were, Jesus would've used apologize in His preaching.

I, and everyone else, am not abusing God's grace when I genuinely repent. I feel bad about taking His grace for granted because I only have "apology" in mind. If you've always been feeling guilty about constantly sinning and then saying sorry, then fellow saint, that must be God bugging you saying: Child, I don't need your apologies, I want your repentance. Repentance means DOING something; it's turning AWAY from our sins -- not just saying sorry for them.

Now I will echo John the Baptist's call: REPENT!

Faithful? You don't know the half of it!

Recently, I've really been passionate about writing here. It's just that He's been revealing a LOT to me, and so I keep writing.

A lot of times, I'd be struggling with something, and the moment He shows me the way out, I write about it!

But, as I've been repeating countless times: even as saints, we still are human. This prodigal saint has his share of humanity too -- school work. I don't like it, but I have to do it. Deadlines and exams are piling up, and I just don't want to do them.

My weekend starts every Thursday -- yup, I'm one of those college dudes that have long weekends EVERY week. So when the weekend kicks in, I go into vacation-mode. From Thursdays to Sundays, I'll be at church everyday for choir practice, fellowships, etc. I feel like it's summer when Thursdays come by. So when Monday comes along, all my work piles up on me.

For the past few days, I've been very tired. There are things God is changing within me, there are things I do for His church, there's stress with rehearsals for an Easter Cantata, and then there're school work -- I have to deal with all of these. It's not a fun feeling to be burdened down by all these.

I find myself struggling to just focus on Him and that all I do is for Him. Sadly, staying focus isn't my only problem: when you're down and tired, it's when Satan tries his best to fill you with lies.

"Pst. PSSSST! Hey, you! What are you doing? Praying again? You actually think He's going to help you? PLEASE! Wake up! He's a narcissistic God, He'll only care about Himself! Can't you see? He's getting you involved in all these services you do for Him. You're keeping a blog for His glory, you're in the choir three times a week -- you're spending way too much time in church when you're supposed to be studying. When has He even helped you with your studies, huh? Does He care? NO! Wake up! You're not His son, you're His slave! He won't be helping you, look, you have tons of papers due -- good luck with that!"

The devil taunts me to let go of God's unfailing love. He's filling my head with doubt. I struggled. It's hard to think straight when you're emotionally unstable. But by God's grace, I was still able to pray. I sent the devil away, and surrendered in prayer. Nothing has changed, I still have deadlines and exams, I'm still tired; but who cares, I'll just lift it up to Him.

So today, I just finished writing my history midterm. Also, today I handed in my history paper which was a day late. I did the paper on the night of the submission day, finished it at around 4AM the next day. So when I handed in my midterm exam, my professor smiled at me and said: "Your paper was great!" I didn't pay her much attention, I was tired from writing an exam for two hours -- it was at the end of my day, and I had a whole day of classes and I only got to review in between classes, I was just glad to get it over with. She handed me my paper, which she just graded, and first thing I saw was (- 2%) on my title page. I knew that, so I went out of the room and stopped by the stairs to read through her comments.

I was feeling exited, I don't know why. But when I got to the last page this met my eyes: "91" I GOT AN A+! (The original grade was a 93, and it came with "I don't usually give A+!")

I could actually hear God saying to me: "What did I tell you? Just trust in Me!"

He actually saw me through! And NO! He did not just care about His ministry, HE LOVES ME! He's taking care of me, He knows my every need, and He's my FAITHFUL HEAVENLY FATHER who'd ALWAYS SEE ME THROUGH!

I walked to the bus stop giggling and smiling all the way -- I think people might have though I was crazy or something. I don't care! I was walking on sunshine, He just dispelled all my doubts and my cares.

What's even sweeter? He did not need to do that! He was God! I am a servant, He does not need to prove anything to me! But in His love? He did so. He really is the God of love -- LOVE Himself. He is just the SWEETEST! ♥

"The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

OH YES HE IS! AND YES HE WILL!

"Listen to Me, My child."

"Son, I've been telling you. You are not meant to confront temptations HEAD ON. As much as My salvation for you is complete and victorious -- you still are in this world. Yes, you are a saint, you are My saint. But as you know, even as a saint, you still are HUMAN. Son, part of your humanity is your sinful nature. I've freed you from it, but I do not offer instantaneous change. You need to learn.What good is your perfection if you did not learn from the process?

I want you to learn, I want you to change, but I do not want robots. Son, you of all people should know how good having someone love you feels like. I want OBEDIENCE OUT OF LOVE. I do not need machines that I can program and reset when they mess up. I want people who would follow Me, choose to obey Me, and hold on to Me.

You, My son, are a saint. I've set you apart from the world to be ambassadors of My love on earth. And son, how do you expect to do that when you keep falling? I am not expecting you to be perfect, I know your limitations, and I know how to test you. Every time you encounter temptation, I provide a way out.

Son, I give fire exits to burning buildings, not portal guns that can zap you places. I need you to make the conscious effort of FLEEING. No son, a burning building cannot be salvaged by cans of fire extinguishers, you have to flee from it -- you are not equipped to fight it. Your sinful nature always keeps you vulnerable to being tempted; however, My grace is sufficient for you. Turn to Me, I can help you. I'm the fire fighter that rushed to climb the burning inferno of a building you're trapped in to save you. Just choose to take my hand and let's go. No, no, no. How many times do I have to tell you? Stop trying to fight the flames. You cannot win, not at your current state. You are not equipped, nor trained, to fight flames of this intensity. Listen to Me, My child, flee.

Son, you will always be tempted. You cannot just sit around all day and hope to not encounter any. The devil is like a roaring lion, seeking those he can devour. Don't be sitting duck! Flee at the sight of him! In cases like these, fleeing is not cowardly, it's wise. Sure, in severe cases, even in the wild, some prey gets to overpower their predator. But for the most part, even if they can, they'd much rather run away -- it's safer, more efficient, and saves a lot of trouble. PLUS! It's a guaranteed safe option for them. If you run, and you get caught -- then fight. But if you fight and you realize the opponent's too strong, can you still run?

Son, being bound by your sinful nature is like swimming with an open wound in shark territory. They will always be able to find you, so keep swimming! Don't laze around and hope they don't find you. FLEE! I will never leave you nor forsake you, and your battles can be won with My power. BUT, you have to remember, I am not your guard dog. I am your Father. I will protect you when I need to, BUT, you HAVE TO OBEY ME. Run when I tell you.   I've made it clear in a lot of ways in the Bible to flee from temptation, to flee from the devil. Listen to me, child. FLEE!

Look at every time you get caught by temptation because you did not flee and tried to fight when I clearly commanded you to run. Every time that happens, the enemy succeeds in destroying you, your morale, your well-being, etc. What's worse? I am the only one who can heal you and make you whole again, BUT you feel so dirty and broken that you assume I would not want you anymore! Look at the LIES you're vulnerable to when you give in to temptation, when you allow the prowling lion to get a hold of you. Son, he is full of hate, he is miserable -- and he sees how happy you are in me AND HE WANTS TO DESTROY THAT RELATIONSHIP! Do not, My son, allow him to do that.

Listen to your Father. "

-- Love, God

"Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." (2 Timothy 2:22)

Whatever it is that's "pulling you away from God," as a friend of mine once said, never allow it to take over you. Always seek Him, and He will always be there for you to find. And as the verse says, "along with those who call on the Lord" -- we can all work together at this, to help each other find our way back to our Father, and to STAY with Him.

In Jesus's Name, we HAVE victory!

Salt and Light: FOCUS!

There are a lot of things we end up craving for, yearning for, and even lusting for. But every time we find ourselves reaching for something, STOP and ask: Does God want this for me?

It's not really easy to pause every time, and I mean EVERY time, we start wanting something. But we HAVE too.

There are SO many things in this world that are just too LUSCIOUS for us; even as Saints, we are not immune to the idea of "craving." We will ALWAYS want things, it's part of what we are as human beings.

What do we do then?

FOCUS!

Staying focused is as simple (simple, not necessarily EASY) as always stopping and asking yourself. In this case, as a Saint, it's about stopping and asking GOD:

"Lord, is this what You want for me? Would this bring glory to You? Am I being a good Saint by pursuing this?"

Our ultimate goal as Saints is to bring GLORY to God.

FOCUS!

We have to focus on our calling, we are called to be SET APART. To not be like everyone else. Sometimes it's really easy to say: "Oh, this is okay. Everyone's doing it." But we are NOT like everyone else, we are SAINTS!

Our goal as SAINTS is to be SALT AND LIGHT on earth. It was straight from Jesus' mouth, as recorded in Matthew:

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." (Matthew 5:13-15)

Salt is EXPECTED to be salty. And light is EXPECTED to dispel darkness. And Jesus goes on to say:

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

We are like walking signboards displaying His glory. Everything we do SHOULD reflect Him.

So back to whatever it is that's luring us. Does having a craving for it glorify Him? Does it help us maintain our "SALTINESS" on this earth?

FOCUS!

There are a lot of things, thanks to the media and our twisted sinful nature, we end up thinking to be "okay" things -- not inherently good, not inherently bad. But I'm here to tell you, there really is no such thing as GOOD nor BAD. There's only one way of classifying things: PLEASING or NOT PLEASING to GOD.

Take the temptation of Jesus in the desert for example. (Matt. 4: 1-11; Luke 4:1-13)

The suggestion to turn stones into bread seems to be an attempt to persuade Jesus to satisfy His immediate physical need outside of God's will. ... Though I believe Luke 4 is primarily an attack on the person and Messianic work of Christ, there are surely lessons for us: Satan desires that we take the initiative to meet perceived needs outside the way and will of God. We are tempted to seek possessions, pleasure, position and power. On His part, Jesus submitted to His Father's will regardless of personal consequences, comfort and convenience. -- Derek Newton (Principalities and Powers)

Jesus too, as human, had desires -- some were as simple as being hungry after not eating for 40 days and 40 nights.

In the Bible, we can see two distinct ways of dealing with desires, cravings, wants, etc.

1) Jesus, as Derek Newton pointed out, His temptation is the desert is a clear picture of the things we humans want: "possessions, pleasure, position and power."

and

2) Esau, as I've posted in "The Saint Communes: Blessings," was also confronted with his earthly desires. He was hungry after a whole day of hunting, and so did not care about his birth right and sold it for a bowl of soup.

Thing is, Esau GAVE IN. He allowed his humanity to take over him. As for Jesus, He stayed focused on His status as Chist, and held on to the COMMANDS of God.

FOCUS!

We, like Jesus, have a status we must hold on to: we are SAINTS. We carry around Christ is our daily lives. That's the whole idea of being SALT and LIGHT. Salt, when added to food, makes things salty. Light, when placed in a dark room, lights it up. WE, when placed in this world, SHOULD HAVE SOME EFFECT ON IT.

Salt is ONLY salty, it cannot be both salty and sweet. We can only either be: glorifying God and showing people HIM, or just going with the flow and fading into "everybody else."

So in everything we do, in everything we want, and in everything we do for the things we want always keep in mind: we are SAINTS, salt and light of the earth. It's not easy, but hey, we are SONS and DAUGHTERS of the Most High God! His Spirit is our power, all we have to do is ASK. When it becomes too tough? PRAY.

As the song goes: "We fight our battles on our knees." (We Are United)

While I'm Waiting - John Waller

Though I've been told why I wait? My feelings are still the same, I still am tired, still in a bit of pain -- BUT ultimately feeling hopeful. The Lord makes us wait, and its for our own good.

So what do we do while we wait? We've seen Noah and Joseph -- they remained faithful while waiting. But what does being faithful mean? Simple: To keep obeying whatever we're told. In a sense, we're still called to serve even in our waiting.

Service is born out of love, and with His LOVE in us? It is IMPOSSIBLE to keep us from wanting to draw closer to Him -- even in times of waiting.

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord
And I am hopeful, I'm waiting on You Lord
Though it is painful, but patiently I will wait

And I will move ahead bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint
I'll be running the race even while I wait

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord
And I am peaceful, I'm waiting on You Lord
Though it's not easy no, but faithfully I will wait
Yes, I will wait

And I will move ahead bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint
I'll be running the race even while I wait

I will move ahead bold and confident
I'll be taking every step in obedience, yeah

While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint

And I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You Lord

I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting

The Saint Communes: Waiting

Being a Saint is fun. Imagine being the heir to the Kingdom of Heaven, having a direct line to the King of Kings, having authority in Jesus' name, and being loved by Him who is LOVE himself. What joy right?

One thing about being a saint though? We are still humans. Our mortality means we fail and we fall at times -- which explains the existence of prodigal saints who are finding their way back. To be human means to have imperfections, and to be imperfect, means waiting until we're completely changed. The change, however, takes a LONG time. It may be a sure thing that we will be made perfect (Philippians 1:6), but that doesn't change the fact that it has to take time.

I have to admit, it's TIRING (to say the least) to be waiting. Waiting for answered prayers, waiting for directions, for guidance, etc. Patience isn't really something our humanity came with. But when God says wait, we HAVE to wait.

Good things come to those who wait. Take Esau for example, he was impatient and chose immediate gratification over something more significant. (Here's a post about Esau)

Who else?

I. Noah waited 600 years before God called him to do something. (Genesis 7:6) The bible says:

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. (Genesis 6:9)

So imagine, he was 600 years old when the flood came (Genesis 7:6), and he was chosen to be saved because he was seen as "righteous and blameless" -- that meant HE WALKED FAITHFULLY WITH GOD FOR 600 YEARS! For 600 years he was patiently walking with God and obeying everything he was told!

LESSON 1: How dare I ask God for immediate answers and instructions, when I've only been waking with Him for 19 years (minus, probably, the years before I started talking)? Not to mention the fact that even with just 19 years, as compared to Noah's 600, I don't think I can be called "faithful" -- let alone "righteous and blameless!" He'll give me further instructions when I'm ready. God makes us wait until we're ready.

II. Another person we could look at is Abraham.

Abraham was promised something awesome by God:

"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you." (Genesis 12:2)

"I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted" (Genesis 13:16)

God promised him children, and COUNTLESS children too! But God did not say when. So as we all know, he got his son when he was 100 years old! (Genesis 21:5) He had to wait till he was 100 before he was given a SON!

LESSON 2: God makes us wait to let us learn to trust in Him and have FAITH in His faithfulness. God promised Abraham to be a great nation, meaning a LOT of descendants, but he had to wait till he was a hundred before he even got one! In Genesis 15: 2-3 Abraham actually complains about not having a son. But also in that same chapter? God reassured him that He will be having children (Genesis 15:5) And what was Abraham's response?

"Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6)

From then on, Abraham knew better, and up to today, we know him as "The Father of Faith."

III. Let's not forget Jacob.

He too was promised to blessed by God in a dream -- riches and descendants. (Genesis 28: 10-15) So for that, he obviously needed a family: a wife, property, and some kids. All of which he actually got ONLY after working for his uncle for 20years (and occasionally being deceived by him too).

LESSON 3: God makes us wait for us to trust Him, that in spite of our humanity (or others' humanity) His promises will still prevail. He is above everything, His sovereignty cannot be impeded by anything and/or anyone! Jacob had to work hard under his uncle, and even got tricked and accused, but in the end God's promise still held true.

IV. Lastly, we can look at Joseph.

Talk about a tragic life? Joseph had it all. At 17 he saw dreams of his brothers and parents bowing to him -- a vision from God prophesying his future rule in Egypt (Genesis 37: 1-11). And he only got be ruler when he was 30 years old (Genesis 41:46). Compared to Noah's 600 years, and Abraham 100 years? 13 years seem like a short wait. However, let's not forget that in that span of time he: was betrayed by his brothers (Gen. 37:19), sold as a slave (Gen. 37:26-28; Gen. 39:1), accused of rape (Gen. 39:6-19), thrown into jail (Gen. 39:20), and forgotten (for a short while at least: Gen. 40:23). But through all of it, God was with him and blessed him. (Gen. 39:2, 5, 20-21, 23).

LESSON 4: God makes us wait to build up our character.If Joseph were to become supreme ruler of Egypt (second only to Pharaoh) when he was 17, he'll probably be a cocky and prideful ruler. After all, he did seem inconsiderate when he shared his dreams to his brothers. And if he were to become ruler before he was ready, he probably would not be mature enough to forgive his brothers and say:

"And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you." (Gen. 45:5)

"So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt." (Gen. 45:8)

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Gen. 50:20)

In waiting, God teaches us certain things -- things we can only learn through waiting; we mature with time and circumstances, God knows that.

Lesson 5: In waiting, we have to strive to be faithful. Noah walked faithfully with God while he waited (Genesis 6:9), and Joseph too, stayed righteous and faithful as he waited for God's plans to unfold. He worked hard on the things he was entrusted with, he remained faithful to his earthly masters, and he walked closely with God that he had confidence in His power through him (this was especially evident in what he says in Genesis 40:8). As we wait, we too have to be faithful and work on what we're commanded now, until further instructions.

As Saints, waiting is a part of our journey. These people show us some of the things we can do while we wait and insights on why God would make us wait. But invariably? WE have to make the CONSCIOUS EFFORT to be faithful as we wait -- something we can only do as we stay in CONSTANT COMMUNION with HIM.

It is not enough.

I'm now at that point in my life where I realize nothing I'm doing is enough. Where I realize there's so much I want, but I'm never gonna get them.

For quite sometime now, I'm having stronger and stronger desires to just seek God and draw closer to Him. But also for quite sometime now, it has just remained as a "desire." I feel like the longing for His love and His presence grows stronger everyday, but still not strong enough to get me doing something about it.

I'd have portions in my day where I feel like I'm not as close to Him as I should be, or as I want to be and I'd say to myself: "I really wish I could have like a day or something when I don't have to do anything else but spend time in prayer and seeking." Then I get home, I go online, surf the night away till wee hours in the morning. I end up tired the next day, and I just wasted my time. On other days, I'd be bombarded with school work. The journey seems to have stopped somewhere.

Sure, I got to church every Sunday. I spend my weekends in church with choir practices and fellowships. I read my bible regularly and I make sure I pray regularly too. It worked for the longest time, but it doesn't anymore -- it's like I'm a full-grown teen and still hoping to be satisfied with just drinking milk from a baby bottle five times a day. It just isn't enough.

If I want something, I have to do something. If I want someone, I have to work towards it -- relationships aren't built in a day.

Being with God, coming back to the Father, means working out a relationship with Him -- a relationship that grows deeper with time. But, as most of you lovers out there might know, relationships don't just grow with time, a considerable amount of effort goes into cultivating it. Valentine's just left, and the greatest gifts are always those that showcase a ton of effort -- from efforts to buy the best jewelry, to efforts like canceling-everything-on-a-regular-Tuesday-to-spend-the-whole-day-with-someone-just-because-it's-the-14th-of-February kind of thing. For all those people out there who's loved and been loved, we all know how important "effort and time" is to get the "man/woman of our dreams." And it's the same thing with God. I want to know Him more, I know I'm longing for Him more -- BUT if I don't do anything to draw closer to Him, this relationship won't grow!

God is always there, His love will never be out of reach, but He loves us so much to impose it on us. He'll always be close by, but He won't force Himself into us. We have to respond. One-way relationships don't work, one would get tired and leave. Thing is, God is too faithful to do that. He'd stay there and wait. The prodigal son's dad was waiting for him to come home and never stopped loving him, right? (Luke 15:11-32) What more our Heavenly Father for us prodigal saints?

Now that's the thing, we Saints are not saved by religion -- our salvation is in our relationship with Christ. God has done everything already, it's like having someone set up a whole weekend of activities to spend with you -- all you have to do is say YES. He wants to spend time with us, we just have to want it too and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

(Revelations 3:20)

More than blessed!

So today I stumbled upon this:

http://unfailinglovee.blogspot.com/2012/02/i-witnessed-love-of-christ-for-his.html

It's a blog by a really special person.

I'm used to calling her "my daughter," and I remember the times when I would have to constantly remind her to pray and seek God above all else. But look now? She's basking in His unfailing LOVE and even sharing it out!

It's really encouraging to see other saints commune with the Father, and more so to see the courage to just be true and out there.

Because of her, I realized an error I've been neglecting for the longest time:

I haven't been as true as I can be. I haven't been able to post for quite some time because I keep re-thinking about the things I would be posting. Trying to make sure it's "good enough" to be posted for the world to see. I totally forgot about the "good enough criteria" that I should be using -- HIS criteria. Whatever He would want me to say, whatever He has revealed to me to share, THAT is what's GOOD ENOUGH.

So with your prayers and by His grace. I'll try to do what this blog was supposed to do in the first place -- to just write about what He convicts me to write.

********

It would really mean a lot if you guys could follow her blog too, and I'll do my best to keep you guys updated about her updates too. There's no such thing as "too many believers communing together in His name" so let's spread the love:

HIS UNFAILING LOVE.

Yes - John Waller

Verse 1:
Ask, it shall be given to you
Seek, and you will find
Knock and the door will open
and that's a promise

Verse 2:
He said He'll finish the work He started in you
Your needs He will supply
He'll never leave you
nor forsake you
and that's a promise

Pre:
It's a guarantee
it's a beautiful thing
He delights to keep His word

Chorus:
God says YES to His promises
Take Him at His word
Yea, you can believe it
God says YES
to a child-like faith
when we claim
everything He died to give
God says YES

Verse 3:
He said, come all you weary ones
and He will give you rest
His strength is perfect in our weakness
and that's a promise

Chorus:
God says YES to His promises
Take Him at His word
Yea, you can believe it
God says YES
to a child-like faith
when we claim
everything He died to give
God says YES (x3)

The Saint Communes 6: Blessings

Read: Genesis 25: 29:34

(Link to the passage: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2025:%2029-34&version=NIV)

God made a covenant with Abraham (Gen. 17:19), for Isaac and his descendants -- and that included Esau.

When Esau sold his birthright, he was holding God's promise to his grandfather Abraham and then to his father Isaac in contempt.

--"Men of the Bible" (Sprangler and Wolgemuth, 2002)

Esau was not just carelessly giving away what to him seemed unimportant (Gen. 25:32), he was disregarding the covenant God has with his ancestors -- a promise of blessing that could have been his.

I bet for a lot of us, we'd go like: "Okay, I won't be stupid enough to let go of huge promises of blessings like that for any bowl of soup!" But have you ever thought of that "bowl of stew" as being something your flesh craves for? Like money, food, sex, fame, power, and the likes?

At that time, Esau was hungry. He only responded to his flesh's longing. What about us? Do we always put His promises and blessings in front of our pressing desires? Think of the time you were really, really tempted to do something -- something that is not glorifying to God and something that is rooted from ungodly desires?

Can we seriously say we have NOT committed Esau's carelessness?

It's easy to focus on God's design, His plan, and His promises when we're going through good times. But when we're in danger of falling, do we hold on to the promises in-spite of the really tempting things that could gratify us immediately?

A lot of times, God's promises and blessings seem so abstract, so distant, and so detached. Which is why, personally, it usually is so easy for me to disregard it and pursue my plans for my own gratification. When the cravings are too strong, abstract promises tend to fade into the background -- no matter how great they are.

But we can counter this by: Always putting God first.

If our desire for Him is greater than our desire for anything in this world, the devil will not be able to entice us to stray from His love.

Make no mistake about it: God intends to bless you. ... If you want to receive all good things God has planned for you, don't be seduced by promises of pleasure or power that may tempt you. Don't compromise your life in Christ by letting worldly desires sm0ther your hunger for God. (Sprangler and Wolgemuth, 2002)

Saintly Identity

This song has become my new prayer: "Lord, remind me again and again WHO I NOW AM."

Remind Me Who I Am (Jason Gray)

I just realized, I've been overplaying the "prodigal" part of my being a prodigal saint. What happened to the "saint" part?

Today, God reminded me saying:

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be my Child? The prodigal son only had to come home once -- and that's because he only left home ONCE. Didn't you know that if anyone is in Me, he is a NEW creation. The old has gone, the new has come. Son, you're not who you were anymore. You're mine now. You've come home now. Start living as My son. You have to stop living like the wandering lost kid that you were, you're back with Me now."

Sure, I've made the choice to follow Him. I've always been saying that I would be letting go, that I would be obeying Him. But I realized, I haven't been acting out what I've been saying. I feel so stupid right now. Imagine living in my Dad's mansion and still acting like that homeless fool who left home years ago!

Nothing else matters if I lose my Christ-centered identity -- I am nothing if not His son. My status as his beloved saint is what I should be holding onto now.

You only have to let go of the world ONCE and follow Him.

However, the choice to obey His every command, still has to be done daily. The prodigal son only had to make the choice of coming home ONCE; after that, he lived as a son in his father's house -- and we all know what living with our parents entail.

So to all you saints out there, make the CHOICE of coming back to the Father. He'll take it from there. :) His love is far greater than all our worries and doubts combined, and that's all we have to hold on to.

The Voice of Truth - Casting Crowns