“What sorrow awaits you who are rich, for you have your only happiness now.
What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now, for a time of awful hunger awaits you.
What sorrow awaits you who laugh now, for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.
What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds, for their ancestors also praised false prophets.”
– Luke 6:23-26, NLT
Let us claim this promise each and every single day. 🙏❤️😊
Yes, in a bottle – bottles of my shampoo and conditioner. 😃 I was supposed to write this yesterday, but I felt it best to post it today, Monday. The 14-day community quarantine imposed by the government also started yesterday.
Prior to the implementation, panic buyers were already hoarding supplies in case of a total lockdown. Grocery stores were running out of supplies. I told my husband that we will refrain from going to the supermarkets since we still have groceries at home good enough for 2 or 3 days.
Aside from the fact that all the items we need were no longer available, there were long queues everywhere. The crowd was enormous, and yes, hilarious. The moment I saw online posts of people flocking the supermarkets, I just can’t understand what they were panicking about.
The Department of Agriculture already mentioned in a press release that we have enough food supply that can even last up to 9 months. Panic buying will only lead to long lines and big crowds.
When this happens, shoppers will all be susceptible to acquiring the virus because of a lowered immune system due to stress. The chances of being exposed to possible infected persons who are asymptomatic will also be very high.
As of writing, there are 11 deaths listed and about 140 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines. I told my husband that the 14-day quarantine is not enough as this is only the onset of the epidemic and community transmission. And sadly, our government can only do so much in containing it given the country’s population of 109,140,500.
I told my husband we will wait out for the panic buying to wane and buy our food supplies this Sunday when supermarkets replenish their stocks and the partial lockdown begins. By then, most people have already bought their supplies and the number of buyers has already dissipated. It’s the perfect time to go out since everything we need is already available.
And it was indeed true. There were very few shoppers present last Sunday, and the grocery store already restocked most of the items. We decided to go out during lunchtime under the striking heat of the sun. It only took us less than 15 minutes to buy everything that we need (just the basics, we are against hoarding).
I teased him that most people won’t be in panic buying mode every day because it’s very expensive. If supplies at the physical stores will still be out of stock, and the government implements a total lockdown, I already found alternatives to buy our groceries and medical supplies online.
I shared with my husband that we really have nothing to worry for as long as we do our part in protecting ourselves and other people around us. Then God will do the rest for us.
My husband and I have been through severe testing and difficult trials in the past. There were times when we’re absolutely sure there’s no way we’re going to survive a trial.
But each time, God has ushered us through in unexpected ways that so often surprised us. I know that this is only one of the many trials we have to go through now where God will once again fight for us on our behalf.
And this is where the story of God’s message in my shampoo and conditioner bottles will come in. 🙂
Nope, I didn’t hoard shampoos and conditioners. lol And neither am I promoting these products. I just want to share the wonderful story behind them.
Last year, I had my hair rebonded because I was born with curly hair. My hair specialist advised I use a shampoo and a conditioner that are paraben-free. This will protect my hair from breakage and any further damage. She offered one which they sell in the salon but, unfortunately, it’s a bit pricey.
So I told her I’m not buying it since I’m also using a hair treatment at home. It’s my first time hearing about a paraben-free shampoo, so I did my own research out of curiosity. And I found out that paraben-free and sulfate-free shampoos are best to use on chemically-treated hair.
I chose the Human Nature brand based on customer reviews, which were mostly positive. I started using it last December, and so far, the results are satisfying.
A few weeks ago, the situation on the COVID-19 outbreak here in the Philippines escalated with the rising number of confirmed cases. It led me to contemplate everything I’ve been reading on the news.
This deep contemplation continued even while I was taking a shower. 😀 I stared at the shampoo and conditioner bottles in front of me while washing my hair and then, something caught my eye.
Just below the expiration date and product code, I saw a familiar word. I read it aloud. Surprisingly, it’s a Bible verse. 😀
I was so amused that I immediately checked out the bottle of my conditioner and see if it also has one. Yes, there’s also a Bible verse printed out along with the product code and expiration date.
Then it dawned on me that God must have seen what’s in my heart – the possibility of anxiety, worry, and fear to overcome my faith. I used to be a worrier before I became a born-again Christian and now a prayer warrior. 😉
I may be bold in sharing Bible verses in my social media profiles, but that’s because I have so little faith. Every time I share the gospel online, it’s actually my way of reminding myself about God’s calling for me the moment I feel like shrinking back.
Here are the Bible verses in the bottles:
“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.” – Galatians 5:13
“And she will have a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through His prophet:
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” – Matthew 1:21-23
God knows I needed reassurance, a reminder – all of us do. That is why He called us to serve one another in love and take heart that “God is always with us.” The body of Christ will all work together to defeat this enemy by doing their assigned parts.
How? Through the Spiritual gifts. I’ll share in the latter part of this article how being in tune with the Spirit is very important in discerning God’s messages, and eventually His answers to what we were praying for.
I know some people would think this was just purely coincidence. In my case though, I have long given up the notion of coincidences when I became a born-again Christian. In fact, this was not the first time a sign or a miracle happened. And I believe more of these revelations will take place in the coming days, months, and years.
As I continued to devote more time reading the Word, I thought it best to share it in any way possible to encourage other people during a time of crisis. I have also observed that sharing the Bible verse as is doesn’t get as many impressions from your audience as you want it to have.
However, there’s a way to get around that. Posting a photo that you know will get so many likes and placing the Bible verses as a caption might do the trick. Here’s the photo I chose and the Bible verses I included along with the post. Was I successful? I would like to believe that the first few Bible verses somehow came across (planting the ‘seed’) to anyone who saw that photo.
This photo was taken 6 years ago (2014) during a short modeling stint – my first and probably my last.
It doesn’t always have to be a picture of yourself because your Facebook friends might have the wrong impression of you being a narcissist. And that’s the least trait that we want them to think about us. 😀 A landscape photo or a photo of nature would do. It can actually be any photo. If you’re undecided, ask God for leading and discernment to know what to post and how to share it on social media.
I always ask for God’s leading and discernment when it comes to sharing Bible verses that will best fit a specific situation. I discovered, though, that we can only hear His voice clearly when we’re not distracted by a lot of things around us.
If I haven’t been sensitive enough and I was distracted enough, I sure wouldn’t notice the Bible verses in my shampoo and conditioner bottles. Nothing has changed in the way I pray at night before I sleep. The only thing that changed was my prayer points.
And one of them is sensitivity to the presence of the Holy Spirit. God never fails to answer us when He sees we are ready. And we can only be ready when we allow ourselves to be used by God completely according to His purpose.
Devotion to the Word, a peaceful countenance, and more quiet time with the Lord – these are what every believer should do now. And it is the Spirit who will act on our behalf when we feel overwhelmed by everything around us.
For the past weeks, I had a difficult time praying for “HEALING” as the numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise in the Philippines. God knows unbelief and doubt can overcome our faith when driven by worry and fear. And once again, God moved ahead of me.
This is what I’m holding on to now, and this is how I will end this article as well. I pray that this article may bring every believer out there an assurance that in all the verses He has revealed in the past days and weeks, only one thing stood out – God will remain by our side no matter what happens.
Please join me as I continue to pray for healing, comfort, peace, grace, courage, boldness, and strength to be upon each and every believer in this world. The enemy won’t stop now or anytime soon, and neither should we.
Always believing in God’s miracles as we fight the good fight of faith,
P.S. I told my husband that for as long as I’m breathing, I will continue worshiping the Lord. I prefer it that way than to cower in fear. Whatever may happen, let the will of the Lord be done always. 🙂
P.S. 2 I’ve been using Paulo Coehlo journals for my daily devotion, and there were some instances where I found God’s instructions through it. The artwork for March 12, which was also the start of the rapid increase of COVID-19 cases in the country, looked like the virus strain, for one.
Coincidence? I bet it’s all part of God’s plans. 🙂
Copyright: Thrive Global
This article was inspired by a recent convo. It made me wonder about that “big” word – millionaire.
Before I start with this article though, I will be describing people not because I am judging them. First, I am no saint, I have my own flaws. Second, only God does all the judging and has every right to do so. Lastly, it is only for the purpose of driving towards my point and let the message across. No offense intended here, folks. *peace* ☺
Upon observation, there are two types of millionaires – the silent type and the loud type. The loud types are those who are very obvious when it comes to their riches for the world to see. There are those, however, whom people never knew as rich and some are heirs and heiresses by birthright because they were silent all the time living very low profiles.
The loud types have all the flashy wealth anyone could think of from high-karat bling blings, designer clothes, cool cars, huge houses, and all the “riches” this world offers.
The silent types, on the one hand, are the millionaires who are dressed simply, mingled with the commoners, refused to be addressed with the title he/she deserves, and live a simple life.
For the latter, I remembered this one incident wherein I encountered a man dressed in simple casual clothes without the “tags” while going inside a 30+-storey building. He greeted everyone courteously and offered to give way to other passengers going inside the elevator. Then after we went out, I overheard someone saying, “Didn’t you know that that’s the CEO and owner of this building?”
I didn’t hear what the reply of the person’s companion was because I was heavily processing the information with unbelief. A lot of questions went through my head like why would he dress that way, how can he become a CEO and still act like a regular employee, etc.
Another similar incident happened at a resort. While touring around the place, we asked for directions from a man dressed in working clothes – all shabby and soiled. We found out later on (much to our surprise) that he is the owner of the resort. 😃
Ah yes, never judge a book by its cover, eh?
I’m just amazed how these silent millionaires prefer to be identified and be associated with having a low profile in society when their bank accounts and assets speak the opposite. They have every right to claim power, entitlement, and authority because they are rich according to this world’s standards. But they did not conform to the standards of this world.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–His good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:2
This reminded me of the life of Jesus here in this world. He is a silent millionaire too. The richest, if I may add. He’s the son of God and the son of Man but He never lived a life of comfort, splendor, and extravagance just like a King. It was actually the opposite – He lived life in SIMPLICITY, HUMILITY, and SERVITUDE.
Imagine a God serving mankind. I mean, you’ll never even see it in Greek mythology. All gods and goddesses are regarded in society with such high bearing.
If there is one thing that wealth, riches, and self-glory bring and if our souls are left unchecked, it is pride. Pride leads to arrogance and arrogance leads to greed, discontentment, and so on. It glorifies no one except the world, its standards, and its riches.
Then He said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” – Luke 12:15
“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” – Luke 12-21
With humility, we acknowledge there is someone supreme who is richer, someone who provides everything we need, someone who is more knowledgeable, more powerful, and someone who deserves all the glory. With humility, it always prompts us to ask this question – what are the things that matter to God?
We are supposed to please no one with our lives except God and this includes our lifestyle. I’m sure your question then is this, “So Tin, are you asking that all of us should live like beggars?”
No, not really. It’s always between you and God and your own conviction how you live your life. It requires asking God if what you do pleases Him or not. The Spirit knows what is sinful in your nature and He will expose it.
If God thinks your weakness involves money and material possessions and you easily get carried away by its sinful nature, then certainly He will ask you to let go of your possessions.
If it is pride from achievements and God knows it will lead you to become self-sufficient and self-glorifying, He certainly will rebuke you in that area too.
On a personal note, I hated the feeling of standing out because I have “more” in terms of the riches of this world. I hate entitlement and biases. Back when I was in high school, my Dad drops me off at school with his company car. I studied in a public school and it isn’t common for public school students to be dropped off or fetched by a car going to school or going home.
So what I did, I asked my Dad to drop me off at the main road and then I’d walk about 1 km going to school instead. Pretty absurd, right? lol My Dad couldn’t get my logic behind that but as a loving Dad that he always is, he always gives in. 😉
Even now, I still have this guilty feeling when I eat in a fancy restaurant or when I dress up too much only to see a beggar on the street dressed in shabby clothes talking to himself, or an old woman who pees on her ragged clothes and sleeps on the side streets, or that kid rummaging the garbage can and someone treated him a meal at Ministop.
It’s that aching guilt that what I can only offer to them at that point were prayers. I felt that they deserve more than my prayers or a meal. I was saved by grace, I know they will be saved too by His grace. Though this world may be unfair to them, God is never unjust and I can only continue praying that they will live the life that they deserve. I am confident they will have that kind of life in eternity. But how do I share the Word with a stranger without being rejected? Yes, that is what I always ask every time I felt this need to talk about faith with those who aren’t saved yet.
There is no perfect answer how we should all live. But as far as I know, the Bible is clear in stating we should all be Christ-like in every manner. No, we can never be like Him when it comes to supremacy because He is the one and only TRUE GOD. But as followers of Christ, He gave us the Bible as a guide how to live pure and uncorrupted lives.
“So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord.” – 1 Thessalonians 1:6
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” – James 1:27
I guess what we can only ask ourselves is not a matter of whether we live like a beggar or live like a loud or silent millionaire but a question whether we’re going to allow the world to corrupt us or not?
My answer is a solid “NO.” And yes, “no” to excuses too. Let us never validate our actions even if they are wrong because what is sinful to God will always be sinful to God.
They say Christianity is a lifestyle. With that in mind, I constantly ask myself: are we really living it out? Or are we too consumed by this world we already forgot who we’re supposed to be living for?
“Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” – 1 Peter 2:16
“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.” – 1 Timothy 6:6-8
P.S.
This is a 1am thought, by the way, written a few weeks ago. It’s an unlikely hour but I always have this urge to write and browse through random bible readings from 12am until 3am. The thoughts just all come as fluid as they can be making me finish an entire article in just 15minutes compared when I write them during the daytime.
It’s the “bewitching hour,” some say. Or maybe the Spirit always come during these unlikely hours? Or maybe God whispered a la the story of Samuel? 😀
Ah, I am assuming and I can never tell but the verse below just popped into my head so I searched for the exact bible chapter and verse over Google. Are you also ready? 😉
“He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever He comes, He will reward the servants who are ready.” – Luke 12:38
My husband and I were sort of contemplating what Christian-themed movie to watch and it suddenly crossed my mind that God’s Not Dead 2 was already released in some countries last April of this year. It hasn’t been shown here in the Philippines yet if I am not mistaken so I found myself watching the trailer. When I saw the stats, there were 15k who liked it and 14k who disliked it (as of viewing).
BUT this should not be a cause of alarm nor disappointment for believers who widely support Christian films. As a believer we should take it as a sign of hope. The 14k who disliked the movie meant that they watched the trailer until the end making them decide that they dislike it – the planting of the seed (please refer to 1 Corinthians 3:6). It is just the beginning and God will make it grow regardless on who planted or who watered it. 🙂
Many are still in disbelief. This is a fact.
I believe movies such as God’s Not Dead were made to serve only one purpose – glorify God, which is the sole purpose of man in this world. The truth will be made known whether we like it or not, whether we try to suppress it or not. It will remain as the truth and a fact – Jesus lives, Jesus is the Son of Man and Son of God and there is a God.
It is part of history and we can never ever erase history. I’ll cite for one where our calendars are patterned from – A.D. and B.C. If we do erase history then all foundations of civil society now will be futile and senseless – it will become an endless pursuit of the “hows” and the “whys” which can become chaos.
Chaos. Without civilization, everything will be in chaos. What keeps a society in order is the system and the system is the foundation. The foundation is what history is all about. Imagine a society wherein you will be starting from scratch – that’s a whole lot to work on. So should we also not use our calendars since Christ doesn’t exist thus, B.C.(Before Christ) will be considered null? Then, we should not be counting days or years or celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, etc. or even plan our schedules.
Let’s say Science. Is Science a fact? Is it part of history? It is. So much of what Science covers are truths. BUT Science, like History, is not God. It doesn’t contain the wisdom that God has. God only wanted to be revealed in these branches of study and shed light on some of what He is capable of doing but never to undermine the work He has first created and established.
I shared in my previous article before this that I used to be overwhelmed by “why” questions pertaining to the existence of things and this world. I was in pursuit of worldly knowledge so to speak.
Have you ever heard a 6-year old ask you questions that for adults seem to be very absurd and yet in actuality, they speak so much of reality – innocently true? Take these questions as an example:
“Why are our skulls created to be spherical and not triangular?”
“Why are our eyes positioned to be parallel with each other horizontally and not vertically or why not put one eye at the front and one at the back?”
Or better yet,
“Why do we only have two eyes and why not make four situated one in front, one at the back and one on each side (this will be awesome because you see everything around you literally – no “blind” sides. lol)?”
I have a 6-year old nephew and while attending to him one time, he started asking me similar questions and I saw myself in him when I was his age. I just smiled and can only utter a prayer, “Lord, you have given a mind that is inquisitive, who is hungry for knowledge, please guide him along the way.”
Going back to those questions, adults will dismiss them – man does not have an answer for them. Science can define their functionalities but Science can never answer why we have two eyes only and the likes.
This is not to dismiss the branch of Science though. I believe God created scientists for a purpose and why they’d be gifted with such skill and knowledge in exploring and discovering what this world is composed of and what’s it all about – it makes it easier for man to understand how one correlates with the other. In the same way that History was created for the very purpose of enlightening man.
In the same way that God sent Jesus in this world in the form of a human being so that He would be able to deliver the message in a manner that humanity will understand and relate to God. God allowed the field of Science to be created so man would understand how God created this world. That was His way of explaining to the human race in a way that we can all relate – a message through man.
Would we be able to understand what salvation is and what God wanted for us to do if He didn’t send His Son Jesus in this world or if God sent Jesus in the form of let’s say, a dove? Would we be able to understand that feet are for walking or hands are for holding and grasping things, that incisors are for cutting and molars are for chewing food, that menses are for reproducing, etc. if Science didn’t explain it?
I still have that thirst for knowledge. But this time, it is a different kind of hunger for learning – something that is not of this world but spiritual. I do not know everything because it is God’s role to know everything. I may be bombarded back then by questions that seem to have no answers and yet FAITH has taught me this:
“For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:9
It simply means to respect God for who He is – our great, magnificent and supreme God. There are some things that we are to know and yet there are some things that we shouldn’t ought to know. We have to learn the boundaries and limitations between God and man – the supreme being and the ordinary being, the perfect and the imperfect. Most of us may have questions similar to what I’ve posted above or questions pertaining to faith, God and Jesus and yet we can be assured that in God’s perfect time, we’ll be given answers.
But do take note that they do not come via “Eureka moment” out of the blue without any preemptive means but they can only be found in the very tangible proof of God’s Word that came from God, Himself, through Jesus – the bible.
The bible does not contain specific answers as to why we have two eyes only and yet it will teach us in a manner that God only knows how through the Spirit of Christ in you, in me and in all of us. We need not go looking for answers but by reading the bible, all of these things around and within us make sense – our source of contentment. 🙂
For this year’s mid year prayer and fasting in our Victory church, it fell on the month of July same as the Muslim’s end of “Ramadan” and my Paulo Coehlo planner has “enthusiasm” as the BIG word for this month. I intended to lessen my social media interaction during this period to lessen distractions and temptations. Compared to my previous testimonies during prayer and fasting which were day by day accounts, I thought about summarizing experiences for this mid year’s prayer and fasting.
Fasting, for me, actually happens every single day. Fasting is denying yourself the desires of your heart which is most oftentimes can be associated to worldly pleasures to be more in tune with the Spirit. In other words, fasting means having self-control and discipline. My definition of self-control means controlling my desire to get any opportunity to try all great food out there in big volumes (gluttony); controlling my desire to get all the new gadgets in the market and other material possessions (greed); controlling my desire to avail all cosmetics, plastic surgery or other beauty enhancements (vanity); controlling myself in acquiring every opportunity to earn titles and be well accomplished in terms of business, career or in academics (pride) and a whole lot more of desires that need to be controlled.
The prayer and fasting that our church has which takes place during the mid year and the start of the year are ways for me to present to God the even bigger “giants” that I need to overcome not just for myself but for those around me too. These “giants” could be prayer requests that have not yet been answered and yet proved to be quite burdensome and the circumstances that I have no control over. Thus, I make sure my testimony for the prayer and fasting will be documented and here it is. 🙂
Let’s start with Day 1 (Faith to Speak).
True enough to the word “enthusiasm,” day 1 has a BIG revelation already. Before I even started my devotion for day 1, I already received a text message, a follow up about something I am sincerely praying for over familial matters. It was followed by a prayer from me and I cried upon seeing it because it only meant one thing: God answered my prayers just to give us hope although more prayers are needed and yet the assurance that He is with us in this ordeal that we are going through is more than enough. It brought back memories of me 3 years back before I got saved and what I also went through. Then, the bell of a nearby church rang, it signified the holy hour of the day – 12 noon. Ahhh yes, the LOVE OF GOD manifests everywhere. 🙂
I shared to my hubby what happened and he told me that I really am dedicated in doing things that are not even required of me. I told him that yes, I am doing it out of love – sharing the love that God gave me. If it wasn’t for Him, I wouldn’t be where I am now. It is the love of God that saved me from the repercussions of my sin and past mistakes and eventually saved me from death – salvation through the Cross.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus, our Lord.” – Romans 6:23
I continued that I am able to share this love that God has given me to others because I know how it felt to be on the losing end, alone, empty, afraid and unsure of everything because of the total darkness around me and yet God gave me hope, He gave me peace and lastly, He gave me security. All because He loves me. True it is when the bible said that,
“We love because He loved us first.” – 1 John 4:19
I want to share this love to others so that they, too, might know who God is and how it feels to be saved by GRACE out of His undying FORGIVENESS and faithful LOVE to us.
It was in this moment that I realized what my brother told me that I was selected for the task, for this mission, being the one who has a flexible schedule because of my masteral thesis and I have no work. So my prayer went like this as I ended my prayer and fasting devotion for day 1:
“Dear Father,
Though I may shed tears as I humbly pray to you now, it is because I am overwhelmed by Your presence that I am feeling now. You have, once again, through miracles, shown Yourself and how great Your love is for us. You never left me and my family. Through the times that we have to cope with grief, loss, pain and suffering, You gave us patience, courage and strength to endure it all. This goes out to other nations as well and their people who are going through the same thing.
This prayer is not a prayer of requests but of gratitude. I have made my heart known to You and all the needs and the burden that I have to carry and yet I find myself at peace every single day, not worrying about anything (which is unusual) and enjoying a content moment with my spouse. We are savoring these simple but precious moments that we are experiencing now and we never fail to thank You of that every day as we come before You and pray.
Indeed, You are my footprints in the sand, the only footprint visible because You carried me all the way. Thank You for the protection, for shielding us from the attacks of the enemy to steal, kill and destroy, for guiding us in our decisions, for instructing us what to do and showering us with the warmth of Your love.
I know, Father, that You have prepared me and prepared all of us in every circumstance and in every season that we will go through in this life. Thank You, lastly but not the least, for sending to us the Spirit who will remind us, guide us, intervene for us and lead our every moment in our lives. We know that You are preparing us for the second coming of our Savior.
I am lifting up Your Name as I continue to trust in You and claim the beautiful promises that You set before us in every battle that we will go through in this world. We are all victoriously saved through the One and Only Son whom You sent to save us from the perils of this world and take away all our pain, sorrow and suffering once and for all.
I love others because of You and because I LOVE YOU…I am EXTREMELY GLAD and GRATEFUL that I have come to know You and I will FOLLOW and OBEY what You command me to do through the Mighty Name of Your Son, JESUS,
AMEN.
Your loving daughter,
Tin”
Then, heavy rain poured (I love rain). Was it Your assurance God that You heard me? I bet it is. *insert enthusiasm here* 😀
On with Day 2 (Faith to Fight).
Because miracles do happen, I believe this testimony will attest to that – MORE GOOD NEWS! Though I cannot share the specifics for confidentiality purposes, I know my Father God sees it all and the enthusiasm I have for Him and all His goodness. Ah Lord, You are our Great Healer and Deliverer indeed. Thank You for all You have done. 🙂
This verse indeed came to life for me:
“The Lord will fight for you, and you only have to be silent.” Exodus 14:14
Without even thinking who to encourage as part of the “Respond” activity for today’s devotion, God already gave the opportunity who I should encourage when it comes to faith. I only realized it some time after I sent the message to these people – God gave the need.
Today was all about fighting for faith and the enemy will never give up without a fight too, will he? I committed to a no-rice, smaller intake of meals fasting being a heavy rice-eater. Oh boy, my neighbor now started cooking deliciously-smelling viands and the aroma is just filling the entire house and I can hear my stomach grumbling its complaints. 😀
Then there went my internet connection unusually going off for some time, which rarely happens, exactly when I am about to share about faith in my social media accounts. Well, the enemy can try but he has found the greatest adversary ever in me – God. Try as he might, I am also determined to do what I was tasked. 🙂
I also had to go to the mall to buy some stuff and hubby and I decided to eat dinner at the mall’s food court. I ordered pita bread while he ordered 2-piece fried chicken with rice. I told my husband while eating, “Honey, you know how enviously you are making me feel with every spoonful you take with that rice.”
He laughed and offered me a piece of chicken skin (my favorite). Then I told him too, “You know that chicken skin too is sinfully delicious. It contains too much allergens and high in cholesterol, I should also avoid that.”
I went on that controlling my desires and avoiding temptations will make me happy because it will make my Father in Heaven happy too when He sees what I did. So now my hubby resolved to have a no-rice fasting too so he could empathize with me and not tempt me. 😀
Though I did not encourage him to do this because he needs all the energy he can get commuting every day to work for 2 hours in every trip and the demands at work. So I told him to eat just the way he would but just be with me in faith and in prayer. 🙂
My prayer for this day went like this:
“Father in Heaven,
You have, once again, tremendously shown that we need not worry and be anxious about everything for it is You who are fighting in our behalf. You have, once again, given opportunities to show how faithful You are to our needs. Indeed, I only need to be silent and let You do what You needed to do.
I will never stop in fighting the good fight of faith to honor You and Your commandments. Though the enemy may strike everywhere and anytime, I have faith that You will give me the armor that I need to defeat him.
May You continue to give me the strength and the courage to pursue in living what is good and what is right according to Your standards. I am inviting You in my every fight for faith through the Mighty Name of Your Son, Jesus, AMEN.
Lovingly Yours,
Tin”
Last but not the least, Day 3 (Faith to Overcome).
Today was also another beautiful day receiving a personal message from someone whom we have been praying for – a text of gratitude. It made me cry tears of joy, out of gratitude too. Darkness was overcome and there is now light, a resurrection, a redemption and a new beginning.
Ahh, we have such a loving God. If only more and more people could see it. If only more could experience it. 🙂
I believe the following statement from today’s prayer and fasting devotion will answer this:
“We must have faith to hear from God and do what He says, regardless of how unconventional or illogical the instructions may be.”
I know that faith is the only way to overcome every challenge, setback, trial and suffering – claim the victory that has already been made for us through what Jesus did on the Cross for us. We were already made victorious by His blood shed on the Cross – we just need to CLAIM it. Most probably why the word PROCLAIM. 🙂
We are to proclaim that Jesus has saved us and granted us victory over our sinful lives i.e. bad habits, past mistakes, wrong decisions, lust, greed, pride, wealth, possessions, etc. and over this sinful world i.e. death, crime, murder, sickness, corruption, etc. There is victory to those who believe that He has overcome the world once and for all and all we need to do is to live out this thought in every portion of our lives.
We have to proclaim that God, through His Son Jesus, is the ruler of our lives and the ruler of this world – ONLY Him. 🙂
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” – 1 John 5:4
So I’d like to end this article with this worship song that I encountered while having my worship time first day of the mid year prayer and fasting. Honestly, my worship time at home means jumping, dancing and singing out loud because I can’t do it in church lest my flailing arms might hit fellow worshipers. 😀
I was singing this at the top of my lungs and…..hubby just got LSS (last song syndrome)-ed by this song! hahaha He and I are humming and singing this song since then every time.
Well, this song reminds me of what true worship should be: the FAITH to SPEAK, the FAITH to FIGHT and the FAITH to OVERCOME….all with ENTHUSIASM. 😉
Thus, for my prayer, I have this:
“Dearest Father in Heaven,
Thank You for giving me two great partners in this world – the Spirit and my husband.
Thank You for the Spirit who intervenes in all that I do and I thank You for my husband who shares in my every tear and my every laughter through the bad news and the good news, the failures and the triumphs.
We love You so much, Lord, for being with us ALL THE WAY. We are looking forward to claiming life in eternity with You and Your Son. With You nothing is impossible for You have overcome the world.
Thank You most of all for the overflowing love which gives me, in turn, overflowing happiness, peace and security. Thank You for giving me a reason to live life ENTHUSIASTICALLY.
In Jesus’ Mighty Name, AMEN.
Forever Yours,
Tin”
May everyone raise their hands to the sky and give God the praise, the glory and the honor that He deserves. ❤
And may God bless you, dear sister/brother, who is reading this. 🙂
(Photo credit: princesswarrior.bravejournal.com)
Out of desolation, out of despair,
A want to escape the devil’s snare.
A heart that bleeds, a heart that weeps,
Wishing a love that is for keeps.
You searched, you groped.
Now hoping you have coped.
Tried to give in and tried to give up,
Half empty, half full – like in a cup.
Now you wonder, now you question.
I need my Savior, He can’t abandon.
For that is my comfort, He is my wisdom,
Overflowing peace, that is His Kingdom.
To love is to feel, to bleed is to heal.
To die is to live, to know what is real.
The Cross bears it, in our every call.
He died for us, to live and have it all.
His Kingdom’s riches, beyond silver and gold,
For everyone’s keeping, may you be young and old.
The everlasting hope, now in your hand,
Are we to take it or let it slip like the sand?
So I remembered, so I’m comforted.
A loving Father, dearly and beloved.
For in my desolation, I can only savor that moment,
To be in His arms, my solitary confinement.
***This is my very first poem that I wrote summarizing my faith and my spiritual journey since I got saved last 3/13/13. Praise be to God for the gift of words. If you have the gift of words too, may this inspire you to make more literature that will honor and glorify His Name. 🙂
The Journeyman's Moments 