learning to hold His hand

much of life is really all about learning. we never stop going to "school" if we continue to learn. lessons abound in life's circumstances, people we meet or bump into or even from the mundane matters.

yesterday i learned a lot just by spending time with rina, the youth leader of Jesus' Flock. God spoke something about that day with her and john but like mary, Jesus' mom, i've yet to "treasure these things inside my heart" and share them only with Daddy God.

i will continue to believe and hold on to the promises of God instead of what i see right infront of me. Kingdom life is a life of faith, believing even when everything seems contrary and calling out things that are not to come forth.

my God is faithful and He has reminded me that those who hope in Him and put their trust in Him will never be disappointed. :-)

a kid's profound ooh la-la

Just because you’re OK doesn’t mean you didn’t get hurt. It just means you got up and pedaled away, determined not to have your experience defined by a skinned knee. - Zion, 7 from the luke18project site

i signed up to volunteer for Kids' church yesterday. there were no doubts although i paused a bit to ask if this was God and all i got was a go-signal. it filled my heart with joy as i went home walking to hardin from the film center.

divine set-ups and arrangements. i've learned not to be a smart aleck with God. "He knows best" has always been a cliche for me but i guess this time, He has shown Himself to be faithful.

movies one can always search and look for the endings to know if it's a happy or sad one but life with Jesus is one different thing. it's ALL by faith and as Christians we are called to a life that is lived by faith and not by sight.

trusting Him in the midst of the unknown, uncertainty and nothing to see ahead of me.

"trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. in all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." - proverbs 3:5-6

i keep asking God why it feels so different to be back here. it's as if i'm learning the ropes all over again. i guess it's the acceptance part. that i am here and inspite of the homesickness (at times) i am slowly accepting the fact that my place is here today. wishing for the past and being back in cebu will rob me of the joy and the blessings that are only available here. :-) God's blessings are tied to being at the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

You may never know that JESUS is all you need,

until JESUS is all you have. --Corrie Ten Boom

better and bigger :-)

“The will of God is never exactly what you expect it to be. It may seem to be much worse, but in the end it’s going to be a lot better and a lot bigger.” - elisabeth elliot

"If the leaves had not been let go to fall & wither, if the tree had not consented to be a skeleton for many months, there would be no new life rising, no bud, no flower,no fruit, no seed, no new generation."

from the website catch a glimpse

passing the test

some tests can only be retaken twice or thrice but God allows us to take His until we really get it. obedience and faith are the prerequisites. yeah, no going on to the next level unless we hurdle the challenge at hand.

john mac once shared about how "each season brings itself its own challenge" that we MUST hurdle and overcome. :-0 God's not into shortcuts. He wants you and me to really get it.

i must pass this test Lord with flying colors! hahahahaha

"wherever you are, BE ALL THERE." - jim elliot :-)

supernatural reality

i don't wanna read nor listen about it anymore. studying it isn't even enough. I WANT THAT SUPERNATURAL, KINGDOM REALITY NOW! lately the Lord's been stirring up a hunger to go out and bring His Kingdom into the streets. there's a thirst to see what's been written and preached by other ministries about what God is doing in their midst. healings break out, supernatural happenings and a greater measure of power in their meetings.

what is the prerequisite then? is it more intimacy with God? kairos moments? more prayer and intercession? Lord, what is it then? there must be more than this. i really want to see a change come into my nation more than anything. what kind of change? righteousness in the government, real grassroots poverty alleviation programs that will really help the masses, and more opportunities for those who have been marginalized. i want people to know Jesus. we were discussing last friday before cell group that God promised that if we lift Jesus He will draw all men to Him. that's the answer to calling out the multitudes. only when we allow Jesus to be lifted high in our hearts and lives, churches, cities and nation will the multitudes come.

yep, the solution is not political, economic nor more education. rizal wrote and prescribed that over a century ago but the philippines is still the same. it's JESUS this nation needs. we need a Jesus Revolution. i'm just waiting out for the blueprints and practical solutions on how to do it. the solution is already plain but the ways have yet to be defined. hmm...i guess finishing my thesis is one step. hahahahaha Jesus and finishing my thesis are my priorities in this season. hehe nangatawa ra ba silang happy and mitzil ani when they saw it on my phone. :-) ako sad i realized how amusing but oh so true it was. i must focus on what God wants me to do at this time.

This was a verse which kept coming back and i had to ask happy where it was found...voila! Acts.

For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay...acts 13:36

Find out what God is doing in your generation and put your whole life into it. - Lou Engle

change the status quo!!!

a news item on the philippine economy (Philippine rice crisis due to bad policies, not shortage: economist) struck me because it spoke truth in volumes and put it really bluntly. with all due respect, i do not completely agree with economist rolando dy that this is a matter of "income crisis" but a crisis of the hearts - i put mine first on the judgment block.

the philippines does not have a dearth of brilliance, "wisdom" or good ideas. what it lacks is good governance rooted in righteousness and justice which are the foundations of God's throne. the nation does not even have a scarcity of pundits and good economic advisers and highly intelligent politicians; what it is in dire need of are people who are righteous and are willing to do what is right instead of just settling for the good thing. people who have encountered God if i may put it bluntly. not religious people because the philippines has an overdose of religiosity that may be its own undoing.

i am just stirred up - honestly - and mad. not mad at people or GMA for that matter or her minions (sorry, Lord) but at the generational bondages and shackles that have enslaved this nation that for the majority corruption is the norm and the "political 10%" is a given in many government transactions. we have come to accept a lie and exchanged truth for deception. we have come to believe that it is "normal" for a nation to have corruption when, in fact, there is no corruption in the Kingdom of God. there must be a stirring up and a cry inside of us that will say "I WILL NO LONGER TOLERATE THIS IN MY NATION AND IN MY GENERATION!" if jeffrey sachs can write that it is unjust for poverty to exist for such a time as this then we must also say that corruption should not be the reality or the standard. it must not be the norm!

studying the literature on the times of hunger and subsistence crises in the province of cebu and hunger and poverty has convinced me that what is needed is not more laws, policies or programs or more aid that will end hunger but righteousness and justice in the hearts of men. will durant wrote "Julius Caesar sought to change men by changing institutions BUT JESUS CHRIST CHANGED INSTITUTIONS BY CHANGING THE HEARTS OF MEN."

the solution is not more aid from multilateral institutions nor more harvard and UP graduates but men and women who have been changed because they have encountered the Truth, the Way and the Life - Jesus Christ. men and women who have laid down their lives for the One who laid down His life for them and people who will lay down their lives for others. the way to end poverty, eradicate hunger and stop corruption is only JESUS. there is no other way and no other solution. we've tried everything in the past but they have all failed.

i remember my brother-in-law, nap, saying "as you go, preach" and i believe that is what we need to do as sons and daughters of God. we must proclaim His good news that Jesus came to give life and life abundantly, that He came to destroy the works of the enemy and that He came to set the captives free and to heal the sick and free not just people but nations. we have been called to disciple nations and generations. the earth has been given to man and we can contend for the philippines in the throne room of God! what God has spoken over the Philippines must be proclaimed to the north, south, east and west! it is time to rise up and bring God's Kingdom out into the streets.

excerpts:

"The so-called rice crisis is really an income crisis," said Rolando Dy, executive director of the food division of the Manila-based University of Asia and the Pacific.

The Philippines could raise productivity but it had not properly invested in agriculture or its support infrastructure like irrigation and farm-to-market roads, Dy said.

He said the government was investing little in research and development, building sub-standard rural roads and not putting enough irrigation into potential growth areas like the southern region of Mindanao.

Graft and corruption also hurt the agriculture sector with rural infrastructure being built to poor standards.

mistakes: part of equipping!

tita nene told me this week: "Your failures, mistakes and weaknesses can be used by God to train and equip you and to help prepare you as you go out and minister to people. Failures are actually opportunities for you to overcome. If you don't have something to overcome, how can you be called an 'overcomer'? Don't let them condemn you. Use them as weapons!" wow! that's romans 8:28 at its best!

Psalm 144:1-2 - Praise the Lord, my Rock, who trains me for war, who trains me for battle. He protects me like a strong, walled city, and he loves me. He is my defender and my Savior, my shield and my protection.

God can actually use every negative thing for His glory if we just give them all to Him. God "walked me through" biblical history and showed me how Sarah laughed when she heard that she was going to have a son, how Abraham lied because he was afraid for his and Sarah's safety, how David messed up with Bathsheba and how Peter denied the very Lord he loved BUT God still used them. God knew beforehand that these people were imperfect and would mess up but still His promises remained. He did not change His mind. hahahaha! so think about that...He is a faithful God and His love never ever changes. oh God, how amazing and how awesome You are and Your love! He is never boring because you can never second guess Him!

Rick Joyner in The Army of God Mobilizes, Part 19

Just as the Lord Jesus called the common people as His leaders and workers, He still does the same every time He moves anew. He would rather have those with a right heart than those who are just trained professionals. Because He chooses His leaders, they are almost all going to be on a long learning curve. They can be used to do awesome things, and then follow them with some stupid things, just as we see throughout the Gospels and the Book of Acts. The Lord never seems to be embarrassed by the mistakes of His people, and no mistake is beyond His ability to fix. One thing He obviously loves is real life and real people.

I have now watched a substantial number of people grow into significant and powerful ministries, and in almost every case the ones who grew the fastest and went the farthest were those who started with some of the biggest mistakes. I think this is why the Lord gave the keys of the kingdom to Peter. He did make some of the biggest mistakes, but he also had some of the greatest accomplishments. This trend seems to follow in church history.

gift and character :-) [note to self]

gifts are irrevocable and they come with you when you were born but character is forged in the fiery trials of life, discipline and focus on the task at hand. God is not looking for superstars to change the world but faithful men and women of the Kingdom who are humble, obedient, disciplined and have laid down their lives for Him. so help me God.

Rick Joyner in The Army of God Mobilizes, Part 21

I, too, have learned over and over that those with the discipline and focus to work hard will quickly pass those who may have much greater talent but do not have the discipline or focus to work hard. Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods have obvious talents, but what really separates them from the rest is that they also have a discipline and work ethic. Michael Jordan refused to let anyone get to practice before him or leave after him. Teammates and coaches asserted that he practiced with more zeal than most played the games with.

greater reality

The past and circumstances around us should not define our identities but only the Word of God and the Cross should define us alone. His thinking must replace our thoughts and ideas. God wants to invade our consciousness. He wants a people who will believe His Word and His nature more than their own ideas and opinions when they go out into the streets. His reality must overshadow and destroy ours. His Kingdom must collide with our kingdoms and destroy them! The strongholds of our minds must be pulled down so His realities will be manifested in our lives, cities, nations and campuses! Any thought that is not according to His is a lie and a sin!

Poverty, injustice, prostitution, sickness, ill health, inequality, crime, fear and torment do not exist in heaven. It is our choice to believe what reality is greater - ours or His. God is not a man that He should lie. When He says something, He'll be the one to accomplish what He has spoken. Psalm 138:8 says

8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your love, O LORD, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.

Matthew 10:8 - Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,^[a]drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

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True church life is called to be like a city that is set on a hill, brightly lit so that it captures the attention of all. It is called to be the great society that is a representation of the kingdom of God on the earth. It is also called to be a beacon of hope for good, truth, healing, redemption, and restoration. It is called to be an irresistible force for righteousness and justice.

Rick Joyner, The Army of God Mobilizes, Part 16

covenant relationships

there are friends who are simply fun and they're just that but there are friendships that keep you burning and make you hungrier and burning for God. you can tell the difference by how you feel after spending time with them. i've been blessed to have had friends of the latter kind. those that spur you on and chase God more inspite of...:-) they are not just blessings but God-sent.

i was listening to a sermon about the journey of a world-changer and one thing that the speaker shared was that if you want to walk in God's calling, then you've got to choose the right friends. one book put it quite astutely: run with horses.

these are the people who will link their arms with you and me to fulfill God's purpose and dreams within us for our generation. these are the people who will believe God's word and ideas even if it seems impossible because they know who their God is.

these friends will not mince words. they'll tell you the truth even when it hurts because they love you. they'll "spank" you if a good slap is what you really need but they'll pray for you in the closet, believe you even if you're at your worst point and speak life and believe in God's dreams for you. God is a God of covenant and He is also a God who connects people together. He is the one who appoints friends at certain seasons and places in your life.

this post is for my family and friends who have been God-sent. you know who you are. :-) may God bless you exceedingly, abundantly, more than you can ever ask or imagine!

a quote my friend jm posted in one of her blogs a year ago:

"You must constantly ask yourself these questions: 'Who am I around? What are they doing to me? What have they got me reading? What have they got me saying? Where do they have me going? What do they have me thinking? And most important, what do they have me becoming? Then ask yourself the big question: Is that okay?'" - jim rohn

pretty women?

last thursday i was reading my social history book and listening to music at the same time at the Marriott hotel lobby. my parents and i were waiting for my brother. in between music and pages of history, i couldn't help but notice the parade of women going in and out of the elevator of marriot in the arms of caucasian, asian and american men. i couldn't just go on reading 'coz my heart felt like it was being squeezed. oh God, help us and have mercy upon us, i thought silently. they were lovely and young ladies at that. of course, they were younger than me and it just broke my heart. the flesh trade and the idea of some of the young ladies that marrying foreign men was a ticket out of this country.

what are we doing? what am i doing about it to be exact? was i just sitting there and seeing them go in and out and judge them or am i praying for them? i was there listening to the music, studying for my thesis on the social history of hunger in cebu and enjoying the company of my parents in a comfortable place but even there, the social realities of poverty, unequal opportunities, prostitution and lack managed to catch up with me. and yes, i can't do something about it in the flesh but i can definitely do something about it on my knees praying for mercy for this land.

oh God, where are the sons and daughters who will fight for those who do not know their left hand from their right hand? where are those who would cry out for those who are silently screaming for freedom? my sister once preached about her dream to see an end to prostitution just as william wilberforce fought to end slavery in England and i didn't wholly share that desire until that night.

i've always seen "pretty women" before walking out in the dead of the night while i am inside the car passing by the streets of junquera on my way home with my family but it never hit me that hard as it hit me that night. i think that was what tita nene would put it: the right timing of God to open your eyes to the truth and reality. oh how He loves them the way He loves you and me! His heart goes out to them and He hears the cries and secret prayers of their hearts.

dare to dream

banning liebscher of Jesus Culture said that "The people who actually do something are the ones that DO SOMETHING." most of the people in church, according to banning, are afraid of committing mistakes and making wrong decisions but he believes that GOD IS BIG ENOUGH TO HANDLE OUR BAD DECISIONS IF WE HAVE A PURE HEART AND THE DESIRE TO FOLLOW HIM. He can use and turn all those bad decisions to allow us to reach our destinies and fulfill our dreams.

so what's in that heart of yours? what's that dream that you've always wanted to do and it looks mighty impossible. adidas was unintentionally biblical when it came out with the slogan: IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING.

every single one of us was born with a dream and we all have parts and roles to play in this real drama called life. shakespeare wrote "all the world's a stage" and yep, you and i have real-life, real time action to walk out. it's the greatest adventure in life: us partnering with God to see His Kingdom come and will be done here on earth as it is in heaven.

before you and i were born, the script and the story was already written. all it takes is for us to access it and download it here on earth.

you and i were born for such a time as this.

"If you want to write a book that will change the face of a nation, start a blog. It doesn't matter if nobody comes to you or it's just your mother who reads your blog, JUST START SOMETHING!" - banning liebscher, the people who do something do something, mp3 file, www.jesusculture.org - media resources

the end of poverty

okay, okay, it took me a year and two days to be exact to finish jeffrey sachs' riveting work about ending poverty in our lifetime. i'll chalk it up to the good ole reason that it wasn't the season for me to finish it when i bought it.hahaha

but seriously, swimming through the alphabet soup (as singer bono calls it) of acronyms, multilateral organizations, donor orgs and financial institutions, i told my brother-in-law that sachs' book could be summed up in two words: righteousness and justice plus one new word i just realized now: LOVE.

scholars would probably say that this "review" is simplistic and not entirely academic. yep, it sure isn't one. reading sachs gives us a glimpse on how the world and policymaking would look like if policymakers and think tanks had the heart and the passion to really, and i repeat really, help improve the lives of the people they are serving. not just improve their lives but really help them come out from the depths of despair, hopelessness, hunger, poverty and disease.

i remember jaja telling me that it's not true that the philippines is poor. it's just that there's too much money inside too few pockets (or shall i say bank accounts). unequal distribution of wealth and opportunities as the cliche goes.

while some of his critics would say that the book is filled with sachs' mentioning his advice there and advice here and his highly technical solutions i still say that his book is noteworthy for the fact that it is filled with hope for the hopeless and the disenfranchised. it is filled with compassion for those who cannot even help themselves. and it is full of practical ideas though i would dare say that he is simply a technocrat who has a strong faith in science, medicine and clinical economics. haha

but the one thing that kept running through my mind is this: what would it be like if a policymaker who has been in the courts and throne of heaven would write about God's strategies for ending hunger and poverty in our time? i can only imagine. i believe the answers are already in His Word plus a whole lot more in the Glory realm. what would it be like if we had leaders who were servants first and foremost, people who run for office because they know they have been called to serve?

the new york times called sachs "the most important economist of our time" and i see why. he calls for the rich world to care for the less developed and developing nations in the world. he calls for you and me to care for the people in africa, india and in other less developed parts. sachs puts faces to the cold statistics of poverty and hunger in our time. he sounds like a john the baptist in the world of economics and policymaking calling for the G8 countries, the UN, IMF-WB to redo the way they help, give aid and rethink their development policies and poverty alleviation. his is a radical and passionate call not only to change society but a paradigm shift with a big dream: to end poverty.

bono writes in his introduction of the book that...

"we can be the generation that no longer accepts that an accident of latitude determines whether a child lives or dies - but will we be that generation?"

that got me thinking of a paraphrase of that statement that i asked myself: "we can be the generation who will declare that these (hunger, corruption in the philippines, injustice, etc) will not happen during our watch - but will we be that generation?" it is an answer that probes us deeper and examines our hearts, me first.

i believe we can be the generation for such a time as this. there is a cause...and it's not just to end poverty but for His Kingdom to come.

This is our moment, this is our time, this is our chance to stand up for what is right. Bono from the Be A Hero website

downloading...

i was sitting by the window attempting to read my thesis readings and really, the words just wouldn't stick. my mind was on a different task: my Kristiyanong Pinoy assignment about history and God. it ought to be inspiring as my friend Rz suggests. oh, my! i sit there looking out the window and thinking to myself "oh God, what should i write?" okay it wasn't exactly to myself but to God. how would i write to inspire? i only know of one thing that inspires...God breathing through the words. i honestly was at a loss for words this afternoon. so i did the best thing i know when i'm actually bored with all those readings - either i turn on the tv or listen to music.

while trying to find an article on hunger i found the Kim walker cd kuya caloy "gave" me. hmmm...i decided to listen to it while reading that mind-swirling stuff and eureka! kim walker sings the words REFORMATION. TRANSFORMATION. REVOLUTION and instantly i felt like the rainclouds parted and ideas just flowed straight from God. i had to jot them down as fast as i could. wow, how faithful can He get?! i am just in awe at how God gives us downloads when we ask. i can only imagine how He'll give us the nations if we just take Him at His word.

I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.
General George Patton, Jr.

I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.
- General George Patton Jr

oh happy day!!

i woke up hearing the chirping of the birds and joy just flowed inside of me! thank You Jesus! it's been days since i last saw the bright, sun-shiny clouds and heard the laughter of the birds. hahaha! we had almost a week of cold, dreary summer days because of the tropical depression last week. it's such a beautiful day! God is good!

ephesians 3:12 - "In Christ we can come before God with freedom and without fear. We can do this through faith in Christ." (new century version)

cute artwork from a site i stumbled into. you can enjoy more of this stuff at vikram madan's site.

i want them, Lord!!!

The River and the anointing are for the nations! we have to take Him at His word to ask Him for the nations as our inheritance and the rest of the earth as our possessions! i'm asking for the philippines, Jesus, and the nations!

Psalm 2:8 - "Ask of me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession."

changing the world

that burning desire to "change the world" inside of you is actually a God-given cry. it is not an accident nor something we randomly pick up through life. i believe it is God-dropped.

it has been eight interesting and zigzagging years since i graduated from college and God has been faithful in ordering and reordering my footsteps according to what He has already written in His book in heaven for me. there have been lots of mistakes, failures and sin on my part but oh how He loves me so that His mercies are just new every morning. every shameful deed and choice i've made, He has washed with His blood and made me a new creation.

i now recall those times when i was very much younger and had conversations about dreams, future goals and desires and somehow i found myself much like the "ugly duckling" trying to fit into the world's reality. most of my friends dreamed of becoming successful in their careers, getting married, buy a house-and-lot and raise a family. yep, i had no problems with all those but for me they weren't enough. i always wanted more and that more was wanting to see a transformation in this land. i wanted something bigger than my own personal ambition and life even if the pull of having a successful career was strong inside of me. i wanted more.

looking back, i know now that it was from God. i wasn't what you would call a very committed christian at that time but i was really hungry and searching for answers. interestingly, i'm still at that point of deep hunger and desperately seeking for more but the difference is now i know what i am yearning for: more of God and more of Him in my generation - for Him to come and visit my nation. i want His Kingdom to invade cebu and the whole nation of the philippines.

eight years ago, i came home to cebu from manila (the capital) thinking i could change the world through teaching history in the university level. i was banking on my own ability. haha! after numerous failures, setbacks and defeats i have learned that it is not by might, nor by power but by the Spirit of God alone. wow, how freeing can that get! the knowledge that it is not about you nor your capabilities frees you from the pressure and the stress to perform. all we have to do is rest and spend time with Him so we will know His heart and see what the Father is doing in this very hour. intimacy leads us to war as my spiritual father, JB DiSarno would always say.

human passion to change the system alone won't sustain us for long. but a divine passion and love for the people who are lost will be the ones that will enable us to go the distance. it's by spending time with God that we become like the sons of issachar - people who had understanding of the times and what to do at that time - then i'd have to spend more time in the glory realm with Him.

ey! i think i've found the solution to corruption and injustice here in the philippines. ~wink2x!~ one thing He's been telling me for the past three weeks now is "START PRAYING FOR THE GOVERNMENT if you're dreaming of serving there one of these days."

we win it first on our knees and in the supernatural realm.

"Every command of the Lord comes equipped with the grace necessary to enable you to obey what was commanded." - Bill Johnson

get up and live it out!

Get up, cry out in the night, even as the night begins.
Pour out your heart like water in prayer to the Lord.
Lift up your hands in prayer to him for the life of your children
who are fainting with hunger on every street corner.
Lamentations 2:19 (New Century Version)

while reading another passage in lamentations, the Lord turned my attention to this verse and it seemed as if leaped out of the page and spoke to me. here is one answered prayer! reading the articles written by the guys at Jesus Culture and by Bill Johnson created an impartation in the spirit about being sensitive to Kingdom realities and how it has to invade our reality. for a time now i've been wondering (not really directly asking the Lord) and somehow asking Him though not violently for solutions to poverty and hunger not only in the philippines but for the nations especially after reading jeffrey sachs' "the end of poverty".

finishing the book left me with a burning desire to come across a work by a child of God who has accessed the throne room of God for His blueprints and solutions to world hunger and poverty. bill johnson said that the world system's solutions to world's problems are only temporal and that there is a greater solution to that that can be accessed from a higher reality: the spiritual realm.

more of God in my life and more of Him in my generation especially in my nation's government! today has been quite an "impossible" day, so to speak. the articles in the Jesus Culture website and in bill johnson's gives the reader a hunger to experience what they've been seeing and doing. what is impossible to the human mind is actually possible to God. with Him, the word impossible is nothing. Lord, if You can do it there, why not here in the philippines as You have already promised to do? i don't want to just read about it. i want to live it and see it!

yesterday, God said that there was going to be an acceleration in the spirit in my personal life and i thought that He meant months instead of years. what i didn't quite expect was for it to happen in days' time rather than months. it is amazing to see the Word of God literally come into reality just like the Word was made flesh in the past. ephesians 3:20 is one example of that becoming real. "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us."

may the eyes of our hearts be opened to see what's up there and what the Father is doing just like what Jesus did when He walked on earth. in God's Kingdom, miracles, signs and wonders are daily realities...let that happen here in the Philippines as it is in heaven just like You instructed us to pray.

habakkuk 2:2-3

reading through the articles in Jesus Culture brought me to a divinely appointed one: Kris Valloton's Power of a Vision. he writes that it is important for God's children to know their God-given vision, write them down (habakkuk 2), set goals, and let their steps follow that plan of action. one particular thing struck me in what he wrote - "vision gives pain perspective." it is vision that will enable us to make the sacrifices and the "going-through" bearable and makes us hold on. he writes at the end that we must ask ourselves at the end of the day if our steps have followed the plan for our vision to come to pass or do two things: rethink that plan or re-direct our steps.

God told me, i think, two weeks ago, about asking myself if the day-to-day decisions, choices, words, actions and people i have done and met have made me one step closer to my destiny because if they aren't then they are just what we would call distractions and time-wasters and must be discarded. commitment means having a knife [or perhaps an ax] to cut away all those fat we don't really need for our walk with Jesus and fulfilling His purpose in our generation.

lou engle once said: "Find out what God is doing in your generation and put your whole life into it."

there just seems to be a lot of realignment and puzzle-piece-fitting these days and shaking and sifting going on these days for them to be random coincidences. God is on the move and i wanna ride that wave with Him.

habakkuk 2:2-3 - "The Lord answered me: Write down the vision; write it clearly on clay tablets so whoever reads it can run to tell others. v.3 It is not yet time for the message to come true, but that time is coming soon; the message will come true. It may seem like a long time, but be patient and wait for it, because it will surely come; it will not be delayed."

JESUS. righteousness and justice. social change.
poverty reduction or the end of poverty.