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. :-)

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

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