MY SWEET ESCAPE @jairanissi - Tumblr Blog

CONTINUE IN THE FAITH (06072021)

Continuing in the faith isn’t pleasant at all. In fact, it is hard to continue when you are full of negative thoughts.

“Am I good enough?”

“Am I deserving of the salvation?”

Because the reality is that we aren’t. Nothing can make us righteous apart from the death of Jesus Christ on the cross when He saved us. According to Romans 3:23, all of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is no exception. Even when you are already a Christian, you can still sin. What makes the difference is that when you sin, there is an immediate conviction that as Christians, the next thing to do is to repent.

In life there will be troubles. There will be giants. You wouldnt know who will betray you, you wouldnt know if someone is sincerely a friend. That is when we realize that only thing left to do is to trust in the Lord. He is the God of covenant and faithful promises so in times of difficulty, we will be certain that He will be with us all the way.

All of this drives us to worship Him and to serve His people. Even in times when we are unappreciated and we are unrecognized, there is a God who can see everything. We are stengthened with the thought that from dawn to dusk, He sees our efforts that through highs and lows we deem to be a carrier of His grace and mercy to those who didnt know.

NATHAN (06032021)

Let me tell you a story of a Prophet in the Bible named Nathan. Nathan went up to rebuke King David because of his affair with Uriah’s wife. Now, if I were Prophet Nathan, I would be scared because one wrong move can very well mean my life! I am talking to a King and in just a blink of an eye, he could ask the guards to slit my head wide open. But Prophet Nathan didnt stutter. You know why? Because He represents God. He is speaking only in behalf of what God wants to say to David.

Like Prophet Nathan in the Bible, my Nathan also has this boldness of rebuking me. His rebuttal for me never meant as a criticism, but a reinforcement. His counsel and enlightenment are blunt— the one that spikes through the bones like a two edged sword— because, what would you expect from someone who spent all his life serving the Lord and preaching His word, right?

All these somewhat made me conclude that God indeed thought of me when He created Nathan. God loves me this much to give me someone that much. I am reminded of Solomon’s wisdom everytime he speaks. He seem like Moses every time he leads. His faith reminds me of Abraham. His confidence is like Daniel’s. He speaks like Paul. He rebukes me like Nathan. God loves him like David. He is also an engineer and it made me see he is also attentive to detail like Noah. His integrity reminds me of Joseph. His ability to abandon his own will in exchange for God’s calling reminds of Peter. And most of all, his love for me reminds me of Ephesians 5:25 about Chirst’s unfailing love for the church. For It is so nice and overwhelming that while running towards God, I met Nathan along the way, running towards Him too.

THE IMPOSSIBLE SERIES: GIDEON (05202021)

Sometimes, we are so focused on our inabilities. Sometimes we believe in the lies of the enemy that we are not good enough to serve. As a matter of fact, yes, on our own, we are not capable and we are not qualified. And if we are to stand before God in judgement, the very thing He can do is to condemn us. But why did He call us instead? Because we have been declared righteous by Him through His son Jesus Christ. Our incapability has been wiped clean away by His death on the cross.

“God didnt call the qualified. He qualifies the called”

Let us go back to Gideon’s story, shall we? During the supposed invasion, God told Gideon to gather an army. Then, Gideon gathered 32,000 men to fight against the 135,000 people of Midian. But yet, God told Gideon that he has too many men. To make the long story short, Gideon let almost 99% of his army to go home. 300 men are what is left of the army. Why? Why did God intended it to happen? Because if the Israelites win because of their numbers, they are going to think that they won by themselves.

The Israelites were nervous, still, they cling into God’s promise to Gideon that He will give them the victory of 300 men. Which, in human minds may seem impossible because how many can stand before 135,000 men? Can 300 men stand a chance? At times, we may seem helpless and doesnt know what to do. Sometimes we are too weak to fight. But, that is when God will step in. This is when He will demonstrate that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. In the end, the 300 Israelites indeed won the battle. How? Because it is never because of what we can do, but because of who God is — He is the God of the impossibles.

THE IMPOSSIBLE SERIES: SARAH (05202021)

For one, when someone will tell me that I can do the impossible, I’ll probably laugh. I guess we can all relate to when Sarah and Abraham was waiting for a miracle — to bear a child. After so many years, God finally gave them a word that they are going to have a child. But you know what Sarah did after hearing it? She laughed. Why? Because she didnt do how to do the impossible. After years of trying to get pregnant, it’s not only barrenness they are dealing with. They are also dealing with maturity by age. Their bones are week and they have zero to little chance of conceiving since they were too old! This is when we can all realize that nothing is too hard when God says so.

Sometimes, we are going through a season in our lives that many things may seem impossible. Abraham and Sarah might argue that they’ve been trying to get pregnant for decades and nothing happened. And let me remind you guys, this was way before In-vitro fertilizations. This was long before transplants and surgeries. But you know what? In Genesis 17, God said to Abraham: “Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac”. In that instant, the assurance of God’s word shook what science deems impossible. The power of God gave them certainty thus to ask that after they’ve concluded that they’re barren, after hopeless nights, after they have given up on their thought of having a child, after they’ve been trying for years: “Why not try one more?”

If you want to have victory in exchange for your faith, you have to trust what God can do. If you want to be blessed, you should wait patiently on Him. If you want to do the impossible, cling to what the Bible said in Philippians 14 that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It is true that we see the impossible everyday. There may be struggles and by ourselves, it might seem difficult. This is why we need Christ to strengthen us. Like Sarah and Abraham, we need His word to give us assurance that above everything that is impossible in our eyes, we will also laugh like Sarah — not because of disbelief, but because of certainty that like her, God will also do the impossible on our behalf and grant us the victory.

LOVE (03152021)

“We love because He first loved us.” 1 John‬ ‭4:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When we make this the very basis of our love, we will be unshakeable. No one can ever defeat us because the purpose of our love is to mirror the love that God has for us. When we love others, we should look into it as if we are being purified day by day. Each passing day should be better than what came through. Even when it’s hard, love still. Even when it hurts, love still. Each pain should be offered to Him in the night so we can let His joy to come in the morning. When you let this be your cycle, you can easily love until it becomes a habit.

Most of the times, when you say you love a person, some people will ask for a reason. Many people will ask “Why do you love me?” And some might answer “No reason at all. I just love you the way you are.” Loving is easy when you like the person. But, we should still love even at times when they are unlikeable. We ought to love without a hitch. We ought to love even without the certainty that we are going to get something in return. We have to love relentlessly and unconditionally. Why? Because God first loved us.

FREEDOM (03132021)

In the book of Ezekiel, when God called Ezekiel to prophesy, he didnt prophesy before so many people. God brought Prophet Ezekiel in a valley full of dry bones — bones that are dried up even to the very marrow. He went there and He began to prophesy.

During those times, the Israelites were in total despair. They’re living a life-less and perished life as they were being held captive in Babylon. They were as hopeless as dry bones. There is no way they are going to be restored, there is no way they will obtain freedom — not by themselves at least, because, little did they know, God already has a plan. That is when Ezekiel prophesied that one day, God will save them from bondage.

Going back to the valley, Prophet Ezekiel spoke life into the dry bones and all of a sudden, they gathered together bone to bone. Afterwards, they began to grow tissues, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. It doesnt end there because after they begin to have flesh, God asked Ezekiel to breathe life into them and that’s when and stood to their feet like an army.

“So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.” Ezekiel‬ ‭37:7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

This is a revelation from God that one day, the Israelites will be rescued from Babylon and back to their homeland — which indeed happened later on. This is one of many fulfillments of God’s promise to the captives in Babylon and the Jews scattered throughout the world at the time that He would restore them even when they felt as though their bones had dried up. He is the prime mover, the author, and the reason of every freedom.

In reflection to this story, I realized there are so much to be restored — not only in us, but also in the lives of all the people around us. We are God’s people but there are times when we seem to be nothing but dry bones. Still, the Lord of all creations can restore us bone to bone. He can breathe life into us as if we didnt die at all. There is certainty in the scriptures that during those times, God really saved His people. And, we are God’s people, arent we? In that, we can find hope knowing that He will also save us. He can also do now what He has already done before. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will look to us with perfection not for what we’ve become after He saved us from being captives to being freemen, but because of the consistency of what He has done throughout all generations.

HE MUST BECOME GREATER, I MUST BECOME LESS (03072021)

What is the difference between us and the disciples? Some will say “Jesus was alive with them.” And yes, Jesus was with them. But, dont you think Jesus is with us as well? Jesus was alive then and Jesus is also alive now. He is alive more than ever and He will never die again. There will never be another Jesus who will die again because what He has done on the cross is already enough.

We are saved through the righteousness that God bestowed upon us when Jesus died on our behalf. He treated us righteous because Jesus is righteous. We are saved not because of our good works, but because of what Jesus has done. Nothing else can eclipse that. Whether you do good works and devote yourself in the ministry, it doesnt matter because without the death and resurrection of Jesus, the only thing that the Lord intend to do in us is to judge us. Without the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have no power to be saved by ourselves.

The good works that we do and the ministry that we dovote ourselves into are just manifestations of the praise that we intend to offer to God in return for His grace and goodness since Genesis up to present. Our worship is the reflection of our love for God. We are living a Godly life and taking a stand in our Christian values because that is just the normal overflow of the presence of God in our lives. You see, nothing comes from our might alone. Nothing comes from our understanding alone. Everything springs forth from God and how He loved us and gave everything for us.

Yes, we have dirty issues in the past and we are not perfect. We sometimes stumble and fall short but, God no longer see us as that. His only requirement for us to be His children is to repent, accept and acknowledge His Son Jesus Christ who died for us and gave Himself to us while we were yet sinners. We just have to live by it, work by it, serve by it. Have this thought engraved deeply in your heart so whenever you do something that makes you think you are better than others and that you are righteous enough to be saved, you will always remember that He must become greater, and we must become less. It is not because of what we do, but because of who Jesus really is.

DO NOT LISTEN (03072021)

Trials are not the end of us. We should always remember that we will never be tagged as defeated unless we tap out and give up. Problems will come but we are built to overcome it. When we give up, we are essentially pre-empting God’s plan to show us the victory. In this life, we are born to be victors. We are born as overcomers of a battle already won by Jesus on the cross 2000 years ago. We dont want to contradict the Scriptures, do we? This truth should be manifested in our lives so in whatever obstacles that will come our way, we are sure that He will win. He will win for us and that’s what will make us winners.

The devil is a liar. He was defeated thousands of years ago but he is still here just to whisper bad things and suggest wicked works for us to do the execution. He will probably tell you that evil will consume you and your marriage will never work again because you are not good enough. He can tell you that starvation and poverty suits you and your son will probably die because of addiction. He may also suggest that you should turn back on your faith and abandon your church in exchange for pleasure.

Do not listen!

He is a liar, so do not listen!

Uncertainties are loud. Problems are loud. The enemies are loud telling you that they are bigger than you and that you will surely be defeated. That’s when we should stand our ground even more. We should trust and seek God even more. The louder the anxiety, the louder we will pray. The higher the disbelief, the higher our hands will be lifted. The harder the trial, the harder we will clap our hands. And there may be times that the devil suggests that church is just a waste of time, but that’s when we should worship all the more. That’s when we should show everyone that nothing can stand between us and worship.

Why do we always act like this is the first time we are experiencing difficulties? Why dont we look back and see God’s mercy in the past, even before you met Him, even before your mother gave birth to you, even before Jesus died, even before Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and way before He made Adam and Eve and thought everything He made was good. We should always remember to look back in our past and how God worked in our lives prefectly then. If He is glorious then, why do we stumble now? If He is God then, He is also God now, and He will always be God. He will always win and He will make sure we are there as an audience so whenever we walk through difficulties again, we will remember to be confident.

SERVING OUR PURPOSE (03062021)

Sometimes, I am trying to understand why God created me. Do I serve a purpose? During many points in my life, I am thinking that If I were to die on a specific day, maybe today, would it make a difference? Would people remember me? Would My picture be hanging in some historic place to remind people that once, I lived a life worthy of telling? Maybe I wont.

Looking back on how I lived my life, I can recall events and how painful those were. Somehow, now that I can see clearly, it made me realize that if I didnt go through that process, I wont be the woman I am today. God created me for a specific purpose. He created me to be used by Him. He called me to tell His message. Previously, I was just Jonah-ing my way out. I was running away pretending I don’t know, but really, I do.

In the past, I have stories that I am not proud of telling and from where I have experienced pain of many kind. And what does it prove? It has proven me one thing: God makes everything better in time. Us, people must go through a process of undressing ourselves of the things that are of the world and start clothing ourselves with spiritual values — values that leads directly to salvation.

We are already here. We are here because God paid a price. We must at least challenge ourselves that since we’re already here, we must seize being here. We should already start practicing our calling and own the title of being here as His children because He paid for that. He already died, buried, and rose again because of that.

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Let us all remember that we are on the last days and we have no time playing games anymore. We should be done drinking milk and start eating meat by now. We are adults who should be doing things that we are always destined to do ever since we are young. Times of playing have gone. Times of slacking have passed. We are in the season where we should be working diligently to strengthen our faith.

Why? Because living our lives in accordance to the will of God is better. We can do things in our own way but nothing is going to fulfill us better than God. Let us fix our eyes only on Him so we dont notice anything else. Aim to have eyes so focused on God that when earthly things come dangling in front of us, we wont be tempted anymore. Release everything that blinds you, so you can see what God has in store. After all that has happened in your life, you will realize like I did, that God can still take you back, He can still wipe your slate clean with great compassion and so you can find your way again — free, doubtless, strong, bold and sure that in everyway you can, you will find a way to tell His story no matter what.

PAID FOR WHAT HE ALREADY OWNED (03012021)

All of us have probably already know how God created us, breathe life into us, provided everything for us, and eventually in the New Testament saved us and bought us for the highest price. How much? The blood of His Son. He gave His Son to redeem us even when He already owned us.

This reminded me of the Prophet Hosea. Hosea married a prostitute named Gomer and they have 3 children. Time passed by and Gomer decided to go back into prostitution. She was unfaithful. She abandoned her family for pleasure. But, that doesnt end there. God has a plan. God meant Hosea and Gomer to be an illustration of the unfailing and relentless love of the Lord for Israel (which prophetically means the love of the Lord for the whole world) So, He spoke to Hosea.

“Then the Lord said to me, “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the Lord still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them. ” Hosea‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If you would ask me, it is only fair for Hosea to bail out on their marriage, right? It is only fair to let go of his unfaithful wife. It is only fair to give her up because of her sins. But did you know what he did? He went again and find her.

You probably would ask why. Because Hosea is a picture of God and Gomer is the picture of us. Remember how God loved us and did everything for us? And what do we do? We run away towards something that brings us pleasure. We run away towards the opposite of what God wants for us.

Do you see what Hosea did to redeem his wife? In Hosea 1:2, he had to go and purchase her back. He insisted on buying her. He had to pay 15 peices of silver, 5 bushels of barley, and a measure of wine so he can bring his wife home again. You see, other men meant to buy her to use her, but Hosea actually want to buy her to heal her and redeem her back.

This is how God loves us. Our Hosea has come. Salvation has come and He found us even when we are hidden in the most despicable places. Even when somethimes we run away and abandon Him. He found us even when we are not so clean and not so nice. We were sinful. Still, our gracious God bought us for a dear price. It is only right for God to turn His back on us and abandon us after our sins but what did He do instead? What did He do just because of His love for us? He paid for what He already owned.

WHO DO YOU SAY I AM? (02282021)

Sometimes we go through something deep. And most of those times, it is hard to still stand firm. You know what’s easy? It is easy to cry. It is easy to blame everything to someone else. It is easy to give up. You know what’s seems hard? To worship. It is hard to express our thanks to God when we are going through something unbelievably hard.

Worship should be like air and water. Something we cant live without. We should be confident and comfortable to turn unto God and simply be remembered of who He is.

“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When we are experiencing good things, when there are so many blessings, it it easy to praise God. When you are living the dream, it is easy to be thankful. When you have seen the extraordinary and experience His miracles, it is easy to raise your Hallelujah. But if we are going to meditate through v15 of Matthew 16, We are somehow peppered with questions of whether we are saying the right thing when we are asked by Jesus “Who do you say I am?”

When you go through deep waters, who do you say I am? When you are in trouble, who do you say I am? When you are in misery, who do you say I am? When you are haunted by your past and there seems to be no way out, who do you say I am? When you are filled with disappointments and the people you loved turned against you, who do you say I am?

Do you still say that I am your God?

Do we still acknowledge God? Are will still holding on to our faith in His promise that even when we are experiencing difficulties, He will be there?

He will be there. In whatever we go through, in whatever we experience, we should be standing firm and confident that our God is the same God who went with David when he stood before Goliath with just a sling and a stone. He is the same God who looked at Job with certainty that he will surpass every trial, and the same God who returned everything to him twice as much afterwards. He is the God of everything; that even when the Devil tempted Jesus in the mountains, did He stutter? Did He stumble? Did He give in? No, because He knew the will of the Father. He knew that there is nothing that can compare to what God has in store. That there is no greater treasure, there is no greater victory than finishing the race with God standing behind the finish line, welcoming you with a “Well done, My good and faithful one.”

ONE MORE!

Here’s to those who have thoughts on giving up

There is a painting that shows the devil at a chessboard with a young man. The devil just made his move, and the young man's queen is checkmated. On his face is written defeat and despair. One day, a great chess genius stood looking at the painting. "You still have a move--dont give up! You still have a move!"

We sometimes have moments when it seems like we are checkmated. We see no winning move we can make. Then the great master of all life comes closer to us. He remembers one day when He prayed to be spared from the cross: "Let this cup pass from me", he pleaded. The cross seemed the end of His world. But there was yet another move. Beyond the cross was an empty tomb--and victory.

That same Christ can see beyond your cross to some triumph. "One more! Dont give up. You still have a move," He says.

Kinasasabikan Kita (11052020)

Sino ka ba

Pwede ba magtanong

Ang puso ko ba yon

Bakit nung nakilala ka

Ang luha ay naging saya

Ay teka

Parang pamilyar ka

Ikaw yung naglagay ng ngiti sa aking mga labi

Ang kislap sa aking mga mata

Ang bulong sa aking tenga

Kinasasabikan kita

Aba natatandaan ko

Ikaw yung nagligtas sa pagkakagapos

Yung higpit sa mga yapos

Ikaw yung pagibig

Na ayaw na ayaw kong maubos

Ikaw yung nagtanggal ng kaba sa puso

Ang naglagay ng saya na may luhang tumutulo

Yung hindi mabilang na tapik

Yung mga tawa na parang sabik na sabik

Walang halong bola

Kinasasabikan kita

Kilala pala kita

Ikaw ang laman ng panaginip ko

Yung takbo sa isip ko

Ang nakasulat sa bawat pahina

Ikaw ang dahilan bakit ako masaya

Ang kahinaan at lakas ko

Ang dahilan bakit ako ganito

Kikilalanin pa kita

Hindi ako papayag na hanggang dito lang

Lagi ako mag aabang

Yung hawak mo sa kamay ko

Higpit ng mga yapos mo

Iintayin ko

Kakabisaduhin pa kita

Aabangan sa bawat panalangin

Lulubusin ang grasiya na nakahain

Hanggang ang mga luha ay maging tawa

Hanggang dumating ka

Hanggang ang kamay ko ay hawak mo na

Panginoon, mahal na mahal kita.

BEHOLD 10282020

Do you know the meaning of the word Behold? It is said mostly at times when you are supposed to see something extraordinary. Whether it be an explicit view, the sky, a miracle, or merely another person. Did you know that anything the universe makes you feel, is not about the universe? It is about you. If a scenery makes you cry, it not because the scenery is sad. It is because you are sad. If a scenery makes you laugh, it is not because the scenery is funny. It’s actually because you are happy on the inside.

I love children. I love watching how their mind works. They always ask tons of questions. I have a little cousin and me being the adult, I always try to always answer everything she asks. Ill say “yes”, “no”, “who knows”, “i dont know”, “maybe”. And then we’ll laugh, take a selfie, and enjoy the moment cause that’s just how we are! Whenever I see something impressive, I always pick up my phone, ignite the camera, and then flash. I see to it that I capture every moment I get.

That got me thinking that everything that sparks our interest, ignites the emotions. And everything that we know, controls how we are going to react. We just got to teach our minds. You have to train your mind to be stronger than anything else cause everything you feel will reflect in you and that’s what people will see.

Genesis chapter 1 is the first chapter in the Bible and it is also the first time God said “Behold”. Coincidence? No. It is to remind us that first and foremost, to see the brightside of every situation. It is to remind us to look at the time when God made the universe and then breathe life in you right after He prepared everything else. He loved us that much that He had to make everything good before we come in! We just didnt realize, did we? Our tiny human mind is just as small as a pin-point compared to the wide, vast, and streched mind of God. And yes, there will be days like you dont want to get up, but from the authority of God’s word, I am telling you, that bad times wont last cause He already prepared everything for everyone! Blessings are going on your way, you just have to seek Him first. Good days are going to come, you just have to wait. Sunrise is going to come, all you have to do is wake up. And finally, after seeing God’s goodness in your morning, you will also be able to say “Behold”.

Thoughts on Pursuing a Godly Profession 10102020

Some of us, if not all, are at some point, have thought of something that we want to be in the future or something that we call “pangarap”. Ako personally, as a child, I didnt come from a wealthy family. Our possessions are hard-earned and my father worked hard for everything that we have now. Growing up, my family has been eagerly cheering me up and just couldn’t wait for me to grow up and get a job—which drove me to pursue a good paying career.

Fast forward to my profession of being in Human Resources: although it is a dream come true, and although I can provide to my family, this is nothing compared to the joy of serving my Lord. Upon reaching my dreams, I keep on telling everyone that they shouldnt think that my profession completes me, because it doesnt. It really doesnt because, in Christ I have already been made complete from head to toe. I couldnt ask for more. I am doing well at work but that doesn’t satisfy me at all. Paul mentioned in Philippians 3:7 “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” I have kept this word in my heart so that I can remember that in everything I do, I shouldnt attribute glory to myself because I know, it only belongs to God and that I should count my gains as losses to fully know Him and His purpose.

I can probably choose to drop my career and be a full-time minister if God called me to do so. When He call, I’d follow. I’d definitely follow. However, in this season of my life, it seemed as if God is blessing me specifically with what I am and what I have now, so in return, I channel that blessing for all to see. And above all this, my goal should be to bless others.

All of us have many different callings. If all of us are solely ministers, who will tithe and offer? Who will finance the church? If all of us are career-driven, who will minister? Who will teach? All of us should help each other up and take account on what God has called us to do—without discrimination. For all of us, are complimentary to one another. God has called us to do a specific task that is not identical to what He has called another person for— so that all of us would work together in harmony for His greater glory.

SERVING 09102020

They say good things come in little surprises. But, so does bad things. I’ve read something that quite goes: When God called you to work with those who suffer, you should experience suffering. To mend the broken-hearted, you have to experience brokenness. When He teaches you to impart hope on people, you must experience a great stretching of your patience, yourself.

Sometimes, God will put you in a bad situation just so you can understand what He wants to teach you. When you are being called into His kingdom, people will have an impression that you are going to rule them. Well, partly, yes. However, you should understand that ruling is just one thing. Your job is to serve, not just rule.

When you serve people, you serve God and there is no downtime. If it havent sinked into you yet, you will definitely do alot of serving. Tiredness will definitely come even when you love what you do. You are not allowed to rest, although you think you must. Always remember that He will give you just enough strength and just enough courage, just so you can turn to Him by the end of the day. He’ll tell you that what you’ve done is enough, and that you have been brave to try.

Now, others may tell you that you aint doing it right. And that others may do alot better than you. You are allowed not to listen. People only get criticized by people who are doing less. It’s not healthy and it’s not fair. It’ll drown you. But dont let it wither your fire away. Whatever flaw they see in you, embrace it, and love yourself anyway. Dont ever take it as weakness, but rather, challenge yourself and take it as an opportunity to grow so that finally, when all of these are over, you will be able to hear God say: “Well done, My good and faithful one”.

(Credit to the owner of the photo)

OBEYING EVEN WHEN IT HURTS 08262020

I am guessing all of us have gone through a season of waiting. I, for one, have gone through that with a series of tantrums, begging and crying years ago. I was earnestly asking God to give me that one thing. The thing I desire the most. The thing my heart and my mind wants.

Sometimes the desire echoes in everything I speak about. I was all about that one thing. And most of the time I can almost hear God telling me to stop. The problem with me is that I can’t hear God clearly, or, maybe I just didnt want to give up. I was praying to God and asking Him “Why”. Cause let me tell you guys, this was too special. Until such time, God finally told me, “You know what, my son is special too but He died on the cross.”

Although I think the intention of the message is to comfort me, the opposite happened. Since my heart was so focused, I was crushed to the point where I can recall telling God that He can already take anything in my possesion, He can take anything if He want to, just so He can give me this “one thing” in exchange.

The error is, and always will be, at that season of my life, I was so focused on something when I shouldve focused myself on Christ.

I can recall a passage in the Bible where Abraham and Sarah was diligently praying to God to allow them to get pregnant. Although a hundred years old is never an option for a woman to bear one, they didnt stop praying. Until... Isaac happened. Sarah gave birth to their child.

Fast forward to when God asked Abraham to offer Isaac to Him. Now, this is the intense part cause, you guys have to remember that they prayed about that child, right? They prayed, God answered, onlyyyyy to find out, in the latter, they will be asked to offer it back to Him. I can only imagine the feeling. It must be a heart-crushing, gut-wrenching exchange. But did Abraham ever questioned His will? No. He picked up the firewood, fetched his donkey, asked isaac to go with him, and marched to the hill.

Now, sometimes, it feels like God is asking the same for us. That is when we should start to learn to cling on what the will of God is. This is when we start to focus on His promises. He>i, remember? Are we willing to give up our Isaac? Are we willing to give up what our heart wants in exchange for God’s will?

The better part is, even when it hurts, Abraham obeyed and trusted God. Just when He is about to surrender Isaac, an angel appreared and told him in Genesis 22:12 “Don't hurt the boy or do anything to him. Now I know that you honor and obey God, because you have not kept back your only son from him.”

In essence, we can all learn that sometimes God will test us if we are willing to sacrifice everything for Him. God knows our hearts, and once we succeeded the testing of our faith, He will be pleased. We just have to always obey Him even when it hurts—especially when it hurts. Cause just when we are on the verge of suffering, like when Abraham was pointing the knife to his son, God worked. Isaac lived.

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