Withdrawing from the Crowd

Imagine yourself in the middle of the crowd where everyone is shouting. Will you still decide to be in that place or will you withdraw from it? Years ago, during Christmas day or New Year, everyone is making noise as a sign of thanksgiving, but there some point in my life that in that moment I want peace and quite moment to really say and thank God for what he has done for me and for our family. But I cant do it because the noise that really destructs me.

There are also some point in my life in my walk with the Lord in doing things for Him that I stopped. I became weary and burdened. Later did I know that all things has been done just out of my own strength though I acknowledge God. Then it made me think to withdraw from the crowd.

"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" Luke 5:16

While reading this passage from the bible, the last word structs me. Jesus prayed? How come? Why? He is the son of God and anything that he wants will be given to Him. and it made me realize of the following things.

1. Jesus enjoyed a fellowship with His Father.

     This speaks our desires to build intimacy with the Lord. Spending a quality time requires a quantity time with HIM.

2. Jesus modeled it to people.

      Theres no other reason why we can't be more intimate with the Lord. It requires decisions to do it.

3. Be in the place where you can be with the Lord alone.

      Its like dating someone that we want him/her be with us alone just to have a special and intimate time. Jesus longs for us to do it.

Lets withdrew to lonely place and PRAYED.

Even Devil reads BIBLE

Early morning when I read my bible as my daily devotional, it struck me when I read Luke 4:9-10, because even the devil reads the bible.

What’s really the difference between the followers of Christ and the devil in terms of reading bible.

These are some of the reflections I have.

1. The followers of Christ put every word into actions while the devils not. (Luke 4:4,8)

 The true essence of bible is obedience or personal application. But how often we put it into practice? Is it always or sometimes?

2. We quote the word of God to resist temptation while devil use it to test us.(Luke 4:10)

   We obey the word because it was planted in our hearts. We quote it when temptation comes because it was also planted in our hearts. Memorize and put it in the heart not in the mind. (James 1:23-24)

3. We must know the Bible deeper because the devils knows it also.(Luke 4:10)

   Imagine yourself in the situation where Jesus was in this moment, imagine if you don't know the word of God deeper or you don't read and meditate it? Will you stand still at your ground and resist devil? I don't think so.

That is why most of the time that we indulge in temptation is the time that we don't have enough understanding in what we are reading. This is a challenge for a Christian to really go deeper in their walk with the Lord.

Manny Pacquiao - Antonio Margarito Fight

A day to count on for the big fight that will happen this Sunday(for Philippines time) or on Saturday evening(Texas settings) . This will be the moment of silence or to be still and focus on every action between the two boxers. The battle between two countries in just two person.

A BRIEF RECAP

After the last fight of Margarito where was the controversy fight, saying that theres something solid plaster in his hands where result to Margareto suspension in boxing, and in the other side of the camp where Manny the Pacman Pacquiao continue in working out both in politics and in boxing.

Two different people in two different countries with one passion - TO WIN THE BATTLE.

A LESSON TO LEARN
1 Cor. 9:25 "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."

The fruit of their trainings will result this coming saturday night (@ Texas) and Sunday Afternoon (@Philippines).

The Strict God?

Who's God really? Does He really exist?


If you will name who God is? Who will Him be for you? 
most of the answer will be:
He is my Shepperd, He is my comforter, He is my provider, He is my savior, etc...


But, who really he was? Way back on my childhood, my mom always tell me every time we are in a church to keep quite. She will always tell me that "HILOM KY NAAY GINOO!!" then I begun to shut my mouth(masunorin kasi ako na bata..just kidding!!) because there this God whose strict, and every time I am in the church I really shut my mouth because of what my mom told.


From that moment, I begun to make my own definition about God but now if I will define Him?He is LOVE and not a strict God.


1 John 4:7-8 - Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

How He love us?
Romans 5:8  - "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 


and how we give love back to God?
1 John 3:16 "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." 


in order to show our love to God we need to love others.(read the bold line in the verse above), What does the line mean?that we need to lay our life to them?(its pretty unfair) but remember what Jesus did on the cross. One of the practical application of the bold line above that to lay down our lives to others is to PUT OTHER FIRST BEFORE US.


lets Love one another because our God is not a strict God but a loving God.

In what hidden kingdom you belong?

Last night of youth reload topics talks about the armor of God which found in Ephesians 6:10-20. It was really refreshing to all of us because everyone is in the conquest(things in life that needs to conquer). One of the lessons I've learned from the preacher was "the armor is made for the warriors and warriors are made for the wars" of course, but this is not about the battle of the flesh but the battle of spirit. Here are some suggestion of the preacher to conquer the worldliness:

• Conquer the world with Love because the world doesn't have it.
• Conquer the world with Truth because the world are fall of lies.
• Conquer the world with the heart to serve because the world have the heart to be serve.

but before taking this all in accounts, we must know first on what Kingdom you belong. 

One of the lessons I've learned was, there was two hidden(unseen but existing) kingdoms. These are 

• Gods Kingdom - This the will of God prevail. All goodness are being kept and acted.
• Kingdom of the air - all wickedness or sins reign. 

Pause for a moment and ponder to this question.

• What unseen kingdom that really reign in me or dominates in me?

It's really hard to be pure but thats what you call conquest.

24hrs Busy?

All people are always on hurry because of the things that needs to be done but forget the most important things that need to be done first.

"Be prepared in and out of season"..God said..

Do you know why God gave us 24hrs in one day?it is because 24 hrs is enough for us to work and to rest, in fact  8hrs of work is not really 8 hrs of being busy. it has a break time, nap time, lunch time etc.




Below are some of the 24hrs activity break down. 

• 6 - 8 hrs of sleeping during night
• 8 hrs in school/office
• 1 - 2 hrs of transportation
• 30mis - 1 hr of taking food (breakfast,lunch dinner)
• and many more. - but in between of the daily activity, have we ever say a little prayer?

We must understand that everything must be happens in Gods time (see Ecc. 3:1).  and so, 24 hrs is enough to get rid on being busy. But why most of us are considering themselves busy?

"When opportunity comes, grab it" - old lines right? but it will help us to  manage our time and lessen our work load. So., if you don't want to panic  grab every opportunity that will come.


but above all, we need to seek FIRST His Kingdom (Mat. 6:33) for the one thing that need to be done.


so, are you busy? - Not at all.

Frame up! by false witness.

Experience have taught me no to believe at first glimpse in any news articles that I read. There are a lot of people who are now in jail who were not guilty for a crime, just because they were being framed up by the false testimony.

We need to be careful when we relay events that involved others. And we need to ask ourselves questions before relaying the events such as:

1. Is this really true?

2. Is that really happened?

In acts 6: 9 – 14 and they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law”

In acts 6, after giving false witness against Stephen, I believed that the people who were in that congregation doubted and hated the innocent man who was Stephen. Later, after Stephen delivered the truth, he was stoned to death by those same people.

The bible says that God hates people who utter lies. The positive way of stating this is, “God loves the truth and the truth-speaker those utter the truth, which say what really happened, and who don’t add or take away from it but speak the pure truth.”

I have realized that, if I don’t know something to be true or false and if I don’t have all the facts, its probably best just to close our mouth.

I believed that God is faithful and we make it sure that we will not become a false witness, either intentionally or unintentionally. And we make it sure to say what really matters when in doubt is .... Just Keep KEEP QUITE!!