Conviction is not condemnation know the difference

When we are being convicted by the Lord from our wrong doings He is not accusing us. We have to remember that He is gentle, humble and most of all He cannot contradict Himself, saving us through dying for us on the cross and then coming hard on us when we make mistakes. I am sure He is very well aware of our weaknesses. He died for us while we are sinners.

Romans 8:1

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Never judge others for doing what they have done because we just don't know what kind of pressures they are under; how and what they are thinking at that moment. The evil one is in control of their hearts and minds that time. I mean who doesn't go through that? The Lord Himself is the only one who knows those things, we cannot! because we are limited.

We have to turn to the Lord quickly when we fall to sin. He is truly our Savior the one who is gentle, meek and humble. Focus on that image to our King of kings He is not a common king that easily gets angry and full of pride that will send out unjust sentence. The enemy is the accuser the one who puts guilt in us that causes us to shy away from coming back to Christ. Guilt can give us heavy burden but the Lord said " I will give you rest ".... " For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." We have to believe in Him, that is our job.

John 8: 28-29

Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered  and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."

Even if we have accepted the Lord we still have the tendency of shying away from coming to the Lord for repentance. Because of the accusing voice that is giving us heavy feeling.

Revelation 12:10

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come,  for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.

If we are not careful about the subtle maneuvering of the evil one in putting guilt in our hearts we might end up destroying ourselves which is the enemy's ultimate goal. Do not let that happen! fight a good fight of faith.

John 10;10-11

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

The Lord Jesus Christ is truly the only one who can clean us up with gentleness.

Great Revival starts within

Matthew 6:33

" But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

We have to seek His kingdom first because He is our priority not ourselves. Keep the main thing the main thing and the details will fall into place. Focus on God, I know it's too cliche but if we believe that the Lord heals and we do not believe in our realistic mind that He will not heal us of our bondage that is contradicting. We should live our lives believing that it is also possible to us because we are also His.

Our beliefs about the Lord and how we live our lives should be in harmony. Revival is a great move of God in our life and there has to be transformation within us. Being better than we used to be rather than being better than others, without prejudice.

One time I was praying and very softly the Lord impressed in me  He said, "Look in your heart,.... how much faith do you see?" I was embarrassed to admit it was very very little almost nothing. Then I thought what about, how much love? how much hope? It is easy to say I have faith, I have love, I have hope but if we really examine our daily actions and reactions to others, it exposes us. As part of the body of Christ I think we will all benefit in challenging ourselves with this question in our private devotion time with the Lord. I was alarmed to see very little it's almost nothing.

Ezekiel 18;25-32

"Yet you say, ' The way of the Lord is not right.' Hear now, O house of Israel! Is my way not right? Is it not your ways that are not right? "When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and dies because of it, for his iniquity which he has committed he will die. "Again, when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life. "Because he considered and turned away from all his transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. "But the house of Israel says "The way of the Lord is not right.' Are My ways not right, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not right?

"Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct," declares the Lord God. "Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. "Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why will you die, O house of Israel? "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies." declares the Lord God. "Therefore, repent and live."

Mark 13:35-37

"Therefore, be on the alert-for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning- in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. "What I say to you I say to all, " Be on the alert!"

Panalangin ng pagsisisi

Ama na gumawa ng lahat ng kalikasan at ng sanlibutan. Maraming salamat sa buhay na ibinigay nyo sa akin, sa mga biyaya na iyong ipinamamalas sa akin. Lumalapit kami at nagpapakumbaba kami sa Inyo  humihingi ng tawad sa aming mga kasalanan, patawarin N'yo po kami sa mga oras na mapusok ang mga salita namin sa kapwa halos paslangin namin ang ibang tao sa masasakit na salita na ayon sa sampung utos mo, Huwag kaming papatay. Patawarin nyo po kami kapag ang tingin namin sa sarili ay mas mataas o mas magaling o mas matalino sa iba, sabi sa iyong mga salita kinasusuklaman mo ang mga mapagmataas. Patawarin N'yo po kami sa mga reklamo namin sa pagtahak namin sa araw-araw imbes na magpasalamat sa mga nakamit namin sa buong araw na galing sa Iyong awa sa amin at sa mga pamilya namin. Patawarin N'yo kami Ama sa mga bulok na pagiisip namin na puno ng galit sa kapwa lalong lalo na sa mga mahal namin sa buhay; mga kapatid, kamag-anak, asawa, mga anak, ka trabaho, sa mga kasama sa simbahan. Patawarin mo kami dahil wala kaming oras na manahimik at antayin ang Iyong presensya sa twing pagkatapos namin magdasal. Kalimitan puro hingi ang aming idinadasal imbes na panalangin na pagsamba sa Inyo dahil sabi mo sa iyong salita kung uunahin namin kayo lahat ng kailangan namin ay ipagkakaloob mo dahil alam mo ang lahat ng aming pangangailangan. Maraming salamat sa kabaitan Ninyo sa amin sa pagbigay ng Iyong anak na si Hesus para iligtas kami sa lahat ng aming kasalanan at linisin kasing puti ng niyebe. Itinataas po namin ang Iyong pangalan Ama sa pangalan ni Hesu Kristo. Amen

Panalangin ng pasasalamat

Ama na Makapangyarihan sa pangalan ni Hesus ang iyong bugotng na anak na tagapagligtas namin. Patawarin Nyo po kami sa aming mga kasalanan, lumalapit po kami sa inyo sa mapagkumbabang puso, bigyan nyo po kami ng grasya at awa upang makuha naming akuin ang pagbabago ng puso namin na ayon sa inyong kalooban.

Maraming Salamat po sa araw na ito sa pag gising namin sa umaga upang harapin ang panibagong araw. Maraming Salamat po sa kaarawan ko, simula pa nung ako ay pinanganak alam kong pinapatnubayan ninyo ako palagi, minsan naliligaw pero ganon pa man itinatama Nyo pa rin ako na pumunta sa tamang daan patungo sa buhay na walang hanggan. Maraming Salamat sa pamilya namin sa mga kapatid ko na tumutugon sa ano mang tulong na kailangan ko. Maraming Salamat po sa mga kaibigan ko na nagdadasal para sa akin. Patnubayan mo po ako sa araw na ito balewala ang kakayahan ko kung hindi ko rin kayo kasama sa araw-araw. Gabayan at pagpalain Nyo kami palagi kahit kami ay nagkakamali at binabali ang katapatan sa Inyo. Pasalamat kami dahil tapat pa rin kayo sa pag hango sa amin sa inyong piling kahit na kami ay nagagawi sa ligaw na landas. Mahal po namin Kayo sa pangalan ng inyong anak na si Hesus itinataas po naming sa Iyo ang lahat. Amen

Miracles by Jesus Culture cover by Brian Wahl .....great uplifting song!!! have fun! :)

Compliance is not Obedience there is a difference

The last season I have gone through this year was filing my income tax for the past year. We all do it to comply from the requirement of the government with our personal income for tax purposes. If you are a renter in an apartment or a house you are complied to pay rent. If you are a home owner you are to comply in paying your mortgage. Most often we have so much things to comply to we also do it in our faith. 

We think that if we pray a certain prayer at a certain time, reading the scriptures and going to Church on Sundays and  giving our tithes are enough for us to say we have faith and love for God. We comply and we think that is all there is to it, you submit your total income for the past year, pay your rent or mortgage that's it. If we do all those that was mentioned above and we go on doing the same lifestyle in cursing others, murdering others with our words by lying, cheating, mocking, taking advantage of others given a chance, etc. All of the things you have done for religious purposes are nothing but just compliance.

Imagine if a corrupt politicians, mafia leaders and members, thieves, drug dealers, killers, people who do sins in their own intelligent secret lives that no one knows ( except God ), etc. do comply for all the things they have to do to their church; read the bible, pray daily devotions, go to Church and give their tithes. Do you think God will be pleased with all of their offerings?

Matthew 16:8 "This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me". The Lord Jesus clearly said it all with just one sentence, those words will pierce your heart if your heart is really on the Lord.

In John 4:23 -24, the Lord Jesus have said ....

"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

If you are only complying, you will end up complaining because you will say to yourself and to God. I pray and I go to church but there's no healing, no blessings and no miracles, how come? If you are obedient you will be satisfied always because your life is your prayer and it is not all about you anymore it is all about the Lord. If there is no transformation that means you are still ignoring the presence of the Lord in your life.

In compliance you give yourself a pat on your back and say to yourself you did great today because you did your obligations. In obedience it is never enough, you will thirst for more for the Lord.

In compliance there is a chance of having a spirit of Pharisee we judge others, trying to remove the small speck on the eyes of our brothers and sisters and not seeing the logs in our own eyes. In Obedience you will encourage one another in getting closer to the Lord  in a loving and humble way in a non judgmental way.  Read Luke 18:10 the story of the prayer of a Pharisee and a tax collector and who were justified between the two of them.

In compliance there is arrogance and pride, in obedience humility and love. In compliance you need many audiences obedience however has an audience of one in 3 persons. In compliance there is no transformation, in obedience you will not rest without transformation. I have to admit sometimes I am also just a compliant.

Here are more scriptures you can refer to, I am sure you know more scriptures that supports what I am trying to tell you:

1Samuel 15:22 Samuel said, "Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the Lord ? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams."

In Revelation chapter 3: The Lord's message to church Sardis and Laodecia 

Matthew 7:21-22 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from  me , you who practice lawlessness .'

John 14:24 

He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.

Luke 6:46

"Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?

Once you have a personal relationship with the Lord you will realize compliance and obedience bear no resemblance to one another. The Lord have no requirement to accept you, come as you are and He will cleanse you. 

The Holy Spirit will not agree on your prayers if your private life and prayer life does not match to one another. I heard a Pastor said "The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart". He also said "Comfort zone is a place where God exist but He is not needed."

There's a difference between believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and actually following Him.
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PS. I would like to personally thank a friend of mine, Jun for telling me that he has been reading my thoughts in this site awhile back until my entries dwindled down. Hopefully I could begin to write more again.....and to all of you who reads my thoughts Thank you very much! :)

Be humble enough to be grateful all the time for tomorrow is not guaranteed !

You do not have to kneel or you just do not want to kneel?

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Is it really a legitimate excuse for me to say I do not have to kneel down even when I know that I am capable of kneeling down? Isn't it just right for me to kneel down to God when I am praying as a gesture of humbling myself to my Creator, Provider, Protector and my Salvation? It is very subtle but I see a danger behind it if we are not kneeling down when we pray. God is Sovereign and He deserves all honor, praise and worship. It should be something that we are supposed to be doing automatically if our body can do it. I think we should kneel down when we pray. I know all of us are kneeling down when we are praying but how often? This is just a reminder and a confirmation for us who kneels down every time we pray.

I understand the reason why Peter said in 1 Pet 5:5 GNT “In the same way you younger people must submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you must put on the apron of humility, to serve one another; for the Scripture says, “ God resists the proud, but shows favor to the humble.” In other translation it says “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” This is apparent in Isaiah 55:8-9 NASB where it says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts”

We have to humble ourselves to God since basically we are His servants. God is not a genie we approach to tell what we want and that’s it. God wants to have a relationship with us on a personal level. The great thing in prayer is that when we focus on God- praising, worshipping and honoring Him- we don't even have to say our needs because God knows what we need. In Matthew 6:8 “(So do not be like them;) for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him”. In another part of the Bible it says “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all this things shall be added unto you”. Isn't there a song about that too?

Also waiting for His response to our prayer by taking a few minutes of quiet time, just let Him speak to our heart about His response to our prayer is of great value. It's training ourself how to listen to Him. I know we have a lot of things to say to Him but He has a lot of things to say to us too. It’s supposed to be a communication between us and Jesus Christ. Having a relationship with the Lord in private is better than having relationship with Him in public because if we commune with Him in private He will tell us what to do in public. Just because you are busy with church activities does not mean you are having a personal relationship with the Lord. It’s a tough pill to swallow but it’s the truth. Look at Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. Martha was busy serving Jesus and His disciples while Mary is focused only on Him and Jesus said this is the one thats necessary.

Jesus hated the legalism and doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. And because they've got it the other way around they have made their relationship with God in the eyes of public but when no one is looking, there’s hardly ever an actual personal relationship. They wanted to be greeted in the market places and they wanted to have their special honorable spots in banquets and places because of what they wear and who they are. The relationship that they have with the Lord is to please the public and not the Lord Himself. You will notice it in parables and in the teaching of the Lord Jesus how personal and secretive our relationship with God should be. If it wasn't that important, He would have never mentioned it to us in the Scripture, think about that. Private personal relationship with the Lord doesn’t mean no one should know who our God is, it doesn’t mean hiding your identity in the Lord. It simply means do not boast in public, do not be a shallow worshipper, and do not give the glory to yourself by putting yourself in the spotlight. All glory belongs to God alone and if we should boast, let’s boast of His goodness, always focusing on Him, who He is and what He’s done for you and me.

In Luke 18; 9-14, “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt. “ Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” It's very clear how the Lord points out in the parable how God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble as we have read earlier. In essence it is practical and logical for us to humble ourselves in the presence of the Lord when we are praying.

Also remember when Jesus taught about how secretive our relationship with the Lord should be? In Matthew 6: 3-6 “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who see what is done in secret will reward you. When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

Clearly the parables and the teachings of the Lord Jesus tells us to have a personal relationship with God in a humble way. And that it is not about us anymore. It is not about what we can do anymore but what Jesus had done for us. If we say and believe that we are in the revelation time and we are, shouldn’t we be kneeling down every day when we pray, humbling ourselves to the Lord? Many unusual things are happening around that are really shaking us. Isn't that how it was described in Revelation wherein it says everything God can shake will be shaken? I really think that kneeling down should be part of our household meetings and monthly gatherings (bible studies). Let's have the boldness to kneel down just like how we are progressing in being bold to share the Lord Jesus Christ and His words to others. Holiness is not about behavior it is about ownership of the Lord, because we can never ever achieve to be Holy through our own good works but only through the blood of Jesus Christ. He is our righteousness. If you would allow me to read Luke 21: 5- 36 it's about the signs and warnings. Not to scare us just to give us right perspective. Facts can be sometimes false but our reality is the reality of His words.

What is our life all about?

In Job titles? Dream jobs? To your talents? Desired position that you really want to acquire at work? fame? how much LIKES you get when you post something on FB, instagram, tweeter or what have you? Or How much money you make? Possessions, Financial status? What people say about you? How cool you are to your friends?

Before we were born, God has appointed us already what our mission in our life is. He has placed it in our hearts. In Jeremiah chapter1: verse 5 Here's what God said to Jeremiah. “ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." He who has ears to hear, let them hear. The question is, are you going to evade your soul's purpose why you are here? just like how Jonah evaded God's assignment for him to preach in the city of Nineveh for repentance? ( Jonah chapter 1)You all know the story, how he tried to go to the opposite direction and got on to a ship heading to Tarshish instead of Nineveh. And look at what God appointed for him, a sea creature just for Jonah specifically, by the way, it was mentioned to be a big fish, it's not mentioned that it's a whale according to the scripture. My side comment to the big fish is: it was measured to his body specs so that when he is swallowed by it he will not die but just enough room for him to be humbled and enough size to transport him to his destination that the Father Almighty had prepared for him. In fact it made him prayed inside the belly of the big fish. Jonah eventually humbled himself and told the people in the ship he is on, to push him off to the sea so that they will not be continually hit by the storm. The key words are: he humbled himself, Humility comes first before obedience. As CS. Lewis said (author of Chronicles of Narnia) As long as you are proud you cannot know God . That is also why I think God made Moses to climb up Mount Sinai before giving him the tablets of the Ten Commandments. So that when Moses have come face to face in the presence of the Almighty and All powerful God he has been humbled by the mountains. When I was years younger, back in the Philippines I had experience climbing mountains in a place called Laguna and it is very humbling, in fact in the middle of our trek, going up, we were all so tired carrying our backpacks with clothes in it and camping gears and our food, that we would get lost and all of us will argue and fight which is the right way, to get to the waterfall which is our final destination. Because we would have to go through a long trek to get to it, 2 hours or so may be 3, plus it's elevated. As we go on a little further, less and less arguments happen because we are all tired, so tired you have no energy to argue. I guess that's when humility kicks in when you stop arguing. I am also thinking, God could have given the tablets to Moses without having to climb up to Mount Sinai.

I believe that if we rest our identity in Jesus Christ we can never go wrong. The stress of consistently carrying our job titles, posessions, fame, talents, dreams and personal aspirations IS very taxing on our health, and can cause distraction in worshiping the Lord. Because the Pride and Ego attached to it will eat us up in the end. Here's a scary thought; what if you get all the things in life that you want and you still end up NOT being happy, what now? When we were in kinder we say when I get to be in grade 1...then we will be happy ... when we get to be grade 2, then when we get to be in grade 3 and so forth … we will be happy....when we get to be in high school we will be happy...eventually halfway to our college years we say …..when we get a job we will be happy...when we get a nice car we will be happy.....when we get to have a gf of bf we will be happy.....when we get married we will be happy...when we get a house we will be happy....when we get a child we will be happy …..and then for some, unfortunately, they will have to say....when I get divorced, I wll be happy....There is no assurance of happiness that this world can give. The reality is when we get there it just vanishes away, that passion of that new thing is just a mirage, isn't it. It doesn't satisfy. Except the happiness and peace that the Lord Jesus Christ can and is willing to give. He said in John chapter 14: verse 27 I give you Peace not as the world gives. His peace has eternal perspective and to think, this world is quickly passing anyway.... Like Jonah we should be very sensitive of our “big fish” so to speak, the one that will take or draw us to our Savior.......i wonder, Who amongst us in here will NOT be humbled inside the belly of a big fish for three days?.... Our big fish could sometimes come in a person we just met accidentally, who will help us change our perspective positively, to some losing job, to some getting divorced, to some death of a love one, to some freak accidents or illness or any poignant situation that you can think of, that evokes sadness and regrets can be the turning point of our life. Remember, you are the one who will make that turn to the right path, because you will have to decide, not the situation itself, situations will only appear to be a suggestion to you, in re-aligning yourself to God. Why? Because you have your own free will, your free will is whether you will connect with God or not. Sometimes the “big fish” in our life is so evident and obvious but we completely ignore it because of our pride and ego or how we let our flesh dictates us to continue on living our old ways. God knows how to create certain scenario in our life that will catch our attention. So if we think we haven't encountered our big fish yet, may be, just may be, we are not really paying attention.

So I am suggesting to each and everyone of us including myself of course. To rest our indentity with the Lord Jesus Christ. As His follower and servant. I can assure you there's no false hope in Him. Just keep on exploring the scriptures. The whole bible is a pretty good and solid evidence that there is a loving God. And so, I acknowledge the importance of putting on the full armour of God as it reads in Ephesians chapter 6: verses 13-17 …..13Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, 15and having put on the breastplate of righteousness and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace 16 in addition to all taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God..... So in effect, putting on the full armor of God is an illustrative way of talking, in putting on Jesus Christ, Isn't it? He is our helmet of Salvation, He have said I am the resurrection and the life to Martha the sister of Lazarus whom he resurrected in John chapter11: verse 25. He said that Resurrection and life is not an event it is a person, it is Him. He is our breastplate of Righteousness according to Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 3: verses 21-23 or in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21. That our faith in Him is our righteousness of God. He is the belt of truth in John chapter14: verse 6. I am the way the truth and the life. So each time we deny the truth , each time we lie, we injure Jesus Christ because He is the Truth. He is our shoes of peace of the gospel, He is the peace that surpasses understanding in Philippians chatper 4: verse 7. He is our Sheild of faith, the author and perfector of our faith in Hebrews chapter 12; verse 2. and Sword of the word, the word who became flesh and dwelt among us in John chapter1: verse14. So whenever we pray for the full armour of God, we pray to put on Christ Himself. But wearing the full armour of God is not enough if we are not battle ready. Ready to engage face to face with our weaknesses, temptations and doubts.

It is a decision, and it is not something that you should take it lightly. You have to understand the minute you made that decision, it is not going to be easy. Also, it does not mean we are not going to falter. Fight a good fight of Faith as apostle Paul have said, it is a struggle. Because we will be focusing more on the condition of our spirit than of our physical body. Before, our priority is our flesh. Now, it is our spirit. Before, we ignore and deny our spirit to satisfy our body. Now, we ignore our flesh a little bit more. It's a big jump! but it's worth it because the payoff will make it worthwhile. In John chapter 6: verse 63 Jesus said: It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life..... So, it is not about us anymore, it is all about Jesus Christ. Even the content of our conversations, the topics we discuss with our friends and the way we evaluate it, you will be amazed how it will slowly change and more so, even the content of our jokes will begin to change too. It has to! because our awareness will be different. As it was said by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8: verses 6-8 for the mindset on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace, because the mindset on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

And so to sum it all up. What is the greatest pursuit in life? It is Knowing God. What is the greatest achievement in life? It is Serving God. If we still cannot figure out our purpose in life like I do, I think a good starting point will be serving God. I am not saying do not pursue your dreams, I am just suggesting not to forget your true identity, or maybe we can weave ambition with meaning together. Because the scariest thing that could happen to us as Christians is when we get to see face to face Jeus Christ himself and He will tell us... you are a phony! I do not know you!...isn't that scary?...So therefore having said all the characteristics of the full armor of God as putting on Jesus Christ. If we really are an obedient follower of the Lord Jesus and truly understand it, we will never become a burden to ourselves (in the form of addiction), we are not going to be a burden to our family and to others. For when we know the Truth, the Truth will always set us free.

Let us Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, We thank you for continually loving us inspite of our sinful ways. Forgive us from all of our sins. Create in us the heart and mind that you have planned for us even before we were all born. Help us in not allowing ourselves to mis-manage our time, the Enemy may not make us commit a sin when we are strong with the Holy Spirit but he will atleast convince us to waste our time. Instead may we serve you... nameless, faceless and selfless. Help us in building a life that will last forever according to You through your Son Jesus Christ. Remain to be our Protector, Provider and Counselor through the Holy Spirit. In this we pray, submit and proclaim in the mighty name of your son Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha Mashiach), the Alpha and the Omega (Aleph V tav), the I am that I am (Ehyeh asher Ehyeh), the Good Shepherd (Haro'eh Ha Tov), Jesus of Nazareth (Yeshua Ha Notzri). Amen

Mga bagay na aking pinapasalamatan sa araw na ito.

Panginoon maraming salamat po sa biyayang ibinigay Nyo sa amin sa araw-araw
Salamat po sa pagpapatawad nyo sa aming mga sala ng walang sawa. Huwag po sana naming masagad ang grasya at awa ninyo sa amin.
Salamat po sa kalusugan ko na madalas kong kalimutan pasalamatan sa inyo
Salamat po sa lahat ng biyaya ninyo sa pang araw-araw na pangangailangan
Salamat po sa tamang pagiisip na may kapasidad na pumili ng tamang desisyon para sa buhay namin
Salamat po at nakakapag linkod ako sa inyo sa mga volunteer programs na sinasalihan ko, para lahat po iyong sa kaluwalhatian nyo magpasawalang hanggan
Salamat po sa mga oras na napapagaralan namin ang iyong mga salita para mahubog ang makasalanan naming kalooban.
at higit sa lahat maraming maraming salamat Panginoong Hesus sa pagbigay nyo ng buhay nyo para sa aming kasalanan. Kayo ang una at huli, Alpha and Omega. Ang bugtong na anak na Makapangyarihang Ama. Mahal po namin kayo! 

Heavenly Father Thank you for this day! Forgive us from our sins. Forgive us on the times when you use the term "we cannot squeeze you in our schedule". It should not be like that at all, our priority should be your Will and everything else we squeeze in IF they fit in your Will. May the Holy Spirit guide us to remove the things of this world in our hearts and minds that does not fit to please you because this world is quickly passing away of it's sinful nature. We ask you to provide for us from this day on, guide us, protect us and our family. In the mighty name of your Son Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Amen 

Dark Knight RF

Matthew 24: 34-42

Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. "Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be."Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. "Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.

These are the things I am thankful for

I am thankful for my life, for a conflict free life that I am having right at this very moment.
for the things I am learning through my daily experiences, other people do not have time to learn and just be mad at the whole process
for the meals I am having each day, other people do not have the privilege of having meals on a daily basis
for my senses and the strength to walk and to allow me to do the things I have to do, other people are fighting for every breath they take in a hospital
for the bed that I slept in last night, other people have no place to stay in
for the good night sleep, other people struggle in getting enough of sleep due to sickness or depression
for the great rapport I am with the people I live with, other people do not want to go home because of the chaos that are happening in their homes
for the daily provisions that makes my life comfortable, other people have no means to provide for themselves
Thank you God for your protection and guidance.

DarkKnight RF

Munting Panalangin ng Pag-asa

Ama namin na gumawa ng lahat, muli akong lumalapit sa inyo at nagpapakumbaba upang sumasampalataya at magpasalamat sa kung anong meron ako sa buhay ko sa mga oras na ito. Patawarin ninyo po kami sa aming pagkakasala. Patatagin Ninyo po sana ang kalooban ko na manatiling kumapit lamang sa inyong anak na si Hesu Kristo ang aming tagapagligtas. Sya lamang ang tamang daan patungo sa inyo wala ng iba. Sa kanya lang po namin makikita ang tunay na kahulugan ng aming buhay sa pamamagitan ng kanyang katotohanan. Bale-wala ang lahat ng meron kami kung hindi rin kami kakapit at aasa sa Kanya. Dahil po sa katapusan ng lahat, si Hesus lamang ang mahalaga. Kaya po itinataas ko sa inyo ang mga kapatid ko at ang kani-kanilang pamilya na hipuin mo ang kanilang puso at isipan upang magkaroon sila ng pagka-uhaw sa presensya ninyo. Unti-unting ilapit nila ang mga sarili nila sa inyo kasama ang kanilang pamilya para magkaroon sila ng tunay na kapayapaan at ilaw sa kanilang buhay, na sa inyo lamang matatagpuan. Sapagkat ang kapayapaan na naidudulot ng kamunduhan ay hindi nagtatagal at kayang kayang bawiin ng mundo sa amin. Samantalang ang kapayapaan na nanggagaling sa inyo na hindi maipaliwanag ng isip ay babantayan maigi ang aming mga puso at isipan sa ngalan ni Hesus. Maraming salamat sa buhay na ibinigay ninyo na syang nagtatalaga ng oras at panahon para ayusin ang aming buhay. Ikaw po Hesus ang huling hantungan ng aming desisyon na aming Diyos at tagapagligtas sa tulong at pag-gabay ng Santo Espirito sa araw-araw, mahal po namin kayo. Amen 

DarkKnight RF

Which is weakness, which is wickedness

I just want to share something to you about my recent thoughts about a small topic I have encountered during a conversation. In understanding the difference between our weakness and our wickedness. A lot of times I myself is guilty of misusing or at the very least get confused in figuring out these two different things. It will be very helpful in the long run if we will catch it as early as possible if we are aiming to become better than we use to be. Hoping that you and I will learn something after pondering together this simple yet important topic for me.

According to dictionary.com the definition of weakness is : the state or quality of being weak; lack of strength, firmness, vigor, or the like. Wickedness is : evil or morally bad in principle or practice. I am sure there are a lot more suitable definitions out there that you can find better but let's just take this ones for now. Later on we are not going to take them by how the dictionary defined these words but we are going to compare their individual context in daily application. 

The importance of distinguishing our weakness and our wickedness is needed for us to have clarity in treading our daily journey. Not only we will open up ourselves we will also have clearer and easier way to identify the things we need to adjust in ourselves. 

In weakness we can easily say " I cannot do anything about it" because it is my nature. We sugarcoat it by saying that's how I am created. There is truth to that. Like for example if you have weak eyesight, speech impediment, learning disability etc. But in spite of having those weaknesses we still want to have some development for us to go about our daily lives. I have seen a lot of people achieved great things despite their disabilities. I am sure you did too.

Wickedness on the other hand is the part of our life that we can say "I can do something about it" because there is an accountability. If we happen to be authentic in using our soul as the umpire for our actions. Soul hinges ourselves whether we align our behavior in spiritual manner or body/fleshly/selfish inclined.

My struggle sometimes is that I tend to misuse in categorizing my wickedness versus my weakness. Looking back at the examples above if your eyesight is weak but you always have the eyes to see the bad/wrong in others then that's being judgmental and that is your wickedness not weakness. If you are weak in speech or have speech impediment but you always have the time to speak slanders, lies, insults, hateful words to others. That's not weakness that is your wickedness. Same thing with learning disability if that is your weak spot, but always have the time and ability to scam, manipulate, taking advantage of others. That is your wickedness not weakness. It's a clear cut. Being wrong has a solution, educate yourself to do what is right so that you will avoid what is wrong. Being bad however has no excuse. You can re-train your mind from doing your wrong habits. That's why it takes years and years to remove bad habits because it is intentional. Weakness is different from wickedness. Seeing things this way personally for me is helpful for our self and others. I believe that we influence others by our actions not by our words. As the old saying goes "action speaks louder than words". Maybe making a list of our weakness and wickedness won't be a bad idea to be more precise for our self improvement.

So then if you think that you are having the same mistakes as I am. It is something that we should all think about and be aware of. If you never had a problem like these in your life ever, then this article is not for you and I apologize for dragging you down to finish this thought that does not really concern you at all. Just keep in mind that judging others is only effective if you include yourself because everyone is guilty.

DarkKnight RF

Contentment is accessible

Contentment is the most neglected and/or the most difficult thing to accomplish. Not everybody can have it, but everyone has access. Some rich and famous people do not have it. It does not depend on how much you have, who you are with or what surrounds you. Even if you have achieved so many things in life in the construct of our society in the form of a trophy, medal, a big check, etc. It is still one thing that is so hard to grasp and take a hold of. It can be seen only in how you arranged your mind because there's a lot of different things and elements in our life that is moving around. Often when we get there, when we are suppose to be contented, we are distracted by other things that are happening. We miss to acknowledge it. Contentment is not the final destination but it surely is a place that is healthy for us to stop by every now and then. 

You cannot stay there because our aspirations has no ending. By the time you get the very thing you have been longing for, for a long time, you have another thing that you like to have. Sometimes halfway from getting your goal, you birth another goal. Life is not a snapshot its a continuous flowing movie that goes up and down. Acknowledge it when you get it, by means of appreciation for you to enjoy in the most truest way. You cannot grab and hold contentment in your hands to keep because life is a journey. 

If you are not authentic in appreciation you are coming from a discontented mindset and you will never have peace. That's the very thing why you are wanting to have contentment in your personal walk, to have peace.  Fabricating contentment is fighting against it. I guess the truest way to be content is through the nature of being thankful. It's not something that can be seen or touch but something that can be felt.

Dark Knight RF

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving us and understanding us in spite of our sins. Look at us under the grace and mercy of your son Jesus Christ. We ask for your forgiveness from our sinful ways. May you protect us and shield us from the evil plots of the evil one. May we continuously persevere in being kind no matter how difficult our situation maybe. Help us to be always humble to your will. Heal the people who are sick, depress, lost, angry and lonely, you are the only one who can fix the private matters in our lives. I submit to your authority in Jesus name. Amen

A simple prayer

Heavenly Father Thank you very much for the life you have given me. I know that no matter what, you are going to be there for us. Help us to transform ourselves according to our purpose so that we will be able to fulfill our mission. I repent to you with a humble heart because I am a sinner. And may I forgive all who have wronged me. I lift up to you all of these in Jesus Christ. Amen

These are the things I Appreciate today

www.autm.net

I appreciate my breath each day, other people who are in deep pain in the hospitals are fighting for their breath every single moment
my sight to see what is good and nice, others never once have enjoyed the gift to seeing
my strength and complete body, others need to have special assistance in order to just move around
my preference in my life, others have to follow others with no choice
my chance to fix my life, others are in a difficult position to change their life due to poor decisions early on
my everyday provisions wherever I go, not everyone have support system in their life
my brothers and sisters that supports me, others have broken family
my savings and earnings, others have lost theirs for wrong reasons and some just not have enough
Thank you God! you are worthy of all praise!

Dark Knight R F

Psalm 23 for Busy People Toki Miyashina

www.dailymail.co.uk

The Lord is my Pace Setter, I shall not rush,

He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals,

He provides me with images of stillness,

Which restore my serenity.

He leads me in ways of efficiency,

through calmness of mind; and his guidance is peace.

Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day,

I will not fret, for his presence is here.

His timelessness, his all-importance will keep me in balance.

He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity,

by anointing my head with his oils of tranquility,

My cup of joyous energy overflows.

Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruit of my hours,

For I shall walk in the pace of my Lord,

and dwell in his house for ever.

Toki Miyashina

Greed means Stress

Compared to the people from the old times, the commoners who have to get water from the well and travels only by feet, who has only rocks to rest their cooking wares that is made out of clays to cook,  who have very few clothes to wear, who have very small space to live and very simple way of living. They must be envious of what we have at the present time because of the comfort of the Technology that we are experiencing. They will probably be surprised how comfortable to travel in different ways, how easy to cook, wash clothes, clean the house,  etc.  Yet I have a feeling that they will be even more surprised to find out how stressful our life still in spite of all the help we get from the benefits of technological advancement in our time. (Although there has to be some parts of the world that people are still living in a very simple life as described from the start, with no access to present time technology.)

There are times I envy people who have simple lives for having a simplistic frame of mind and they get to feel more and taste life more. Nowadays it's even a struggle for us to get a quiet time in these very loud and so many things to be busy about world, sometimes we even feel guilty for having to do nothing in laying low. Our mind runs hundred miles per second, very busy of wanting to do more, more achievements, higher salary rates, more collections, more clothes, more everything. But you know, at the end of the day what could have made our day complete are the simplest of things; harmonious conversations, laughter, personal connections, breeze of the air, the beauty of nature, quiet moments, enjoying our meals, etc. We underestimate the importance of the simple things that we can share (which is for me the true basis of happiness) and we overestimate the significance of material things that we keep for ourselves.

I am not saying having less means we will sin less. I get that we are all sinners and we are all captives of sin. I am just saying that with the help of Technology in our life these days it should have been a lot easier to find time to quiet our mind. It is surprising for me how we are still so burdened of so many things in this time of supposed to be more relaxed. Could it be that we are stressed out too much because of our greed to have more and more? Is it really going to make us happy? Maybe, just maybe, having less means peace.

Dark Knight R F

Prayer for the Philippines

Heavenly Father Thank you again for this great morning that you are presenting to me today which is peaceful and wonderful morning. I often forget to appreciate small things in my life but to others it's big. I have come to realize that there are no small things because we owe everything to you. Compared to all the people who are suffering right now in the Philippines our country men, we have so much to be thankful for and so many reasons to be faithful to you. As we come to you humbling ourselves as sinners that confesses our sins on a daily basis. We ask for your forgiveness. forgive us from being so weak and selfish Lord. There must be a message behind this great devastation we have seen that is so obvious which is about the issue of transforming our hearts not only locally but worldwide not only within our self but together with our family. Help us to pay really good attention to it and take you seriously this time. Send us the Holy Spirit to guide us and that we may have the fruits of the Holy Spirit which are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We lift up to you all who were severely affected, the ones who have lost their loved ones, those who have lost their faith in you because of this strengthen them Lord, may the survivors rebuild their lives and family in the confidence of your Love and Honor. We ask all of these in the name of Jesus Christ our solid reality, King of kings, Light of the world, our sure Foundation, our Healing and Wholeness, our Savior and our Salvation, we trust in you. Amen

Dark Knight R F

Things I Appreciate

Thank you God for guiding me when I am being tempted to do wrong things
for the strength to have self-control
for placing in my mind that I am coming back to you no matter how I flood myself with material things
for putting clarity on the values I believe in
for making me realize that my life is just a vapor might as well put purpose on it
for accepting me back every time I back slide
for providing me my daily needs: roof over my head, food to eat, water to drink, bed to sleep in, clothes to wear, job that sustains my temporal needs; family, relatives and friends
for my healthy body that stand as my vehicle
for the solutions even before the problems arise
I honor you and Appreciate you for giving us your Son, Jesus to fix us and save us

Dark Knight RF

The Power of Momentum

There is one thing we should consider and be mindful of that we usually forget about. The importance of Momentum in our life. Whether you like it or not where you are, momentum has a great part in it. You did not get there overnight, if we are just going to humbly track down the direction of our decisions before we get there may it be great or small things in our life. I look at our decisions in life as a representation of a rudder. A rudder is a vertical blade at the stern of a vessel that can be turned horizontally to change the vessel's direction when in motion (dictionary.com). So to illustrate what I am trying to describe here, let's paint a picture of a sailboat as an example. Direction is very important in sailing otherwise you can easily get lost in the vastness of the ocean. You have to be fully aware in deciding where you want your final destination will be. Although I know that sometimes it's a great adventure to have a journey that is not planned, but somehow if we examine those type of situations there is still a goal, which is to just be happy and safe for not getting hurt. As long as the happy feeling is pure it will result to a wonderful unplanned journey. I think we can create a direction that will be fulfilling too through the power of our decisions.

Seeing the importance of a power of momentum has a great value. For every decision making we've made from our past, whether we have thought of it or not, have contributed where we are now in our personal private journey. I get that we should take our life not too seriously but when it comes to making decisions we have to make it distinctive if we are heading to clarity or just creating confusion. Going back to our illustration of the sailboat; first, you will never go out to the ocean without knowing your point of direction by making sure in having a compass to help you out to get to where you want to be. If you intend to go to the west and pointed the rudder to the east, is it logical to be upset after sailing for few days to be in the east instead of being in the west? We have to realize during that window of time that we are sailing we should have figured out through the help of the compass that we are in the wrong direction. The moment we started the sailboat and go we are creating a momentum already. If we got lost, understand that it did not happen in few seconds, there is a time period between starting the journey to getting lost.

The same thing in life, I believe. We cannot expect things to be clear if the paths of our decisions are based on confusion. If we start something in a wrong way, how could we expect right things to happen as a result? If we do not respect and honor our life, how can we expect to have a respectful and honorable life? If we do not respect and honor our relationship, how can we expect to have a respectful and honorable relationship? When we know that there is a Tsunami coming straight at us, would you pack up your important belongings and run away when it's ten miles away or when it's ten feet away? That knowing represents our inner compass, gut-feeling or conscience that should help and guide us in making our decisions. If we will take the time in learning how to listen to it. I believe that a Loving God will not create us and leave us out in the wilderness without giving us inner guidance.  That will be a complete disconnect from the picture of a Loving Creator wouldn't it? Maybe we are so egoistic about our own capabilities to move about in our lives that we regret listening to our spiritual compass. If we are also made out of spirit and we are now also spirit then the Holy Spirit can easily connect to us or vice versa. It may sometimes look like it is wrong from the eyes of many if we follow our spiritual compass in directing us, but i do not believe it will put us in a more problematic situations in our lives if we learn to seek it and listen to it.

Dark Knight RF