Sowing

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

- Galatians 6: 7-8 -

Father God,

Help me to sow good seeds today so that I may reap good harvest that is glorifying to You. Amen.

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[Journal entry: February 4, 2013]

URGENT: Spiritual Inventory

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• Am I really living in an explicable way that reflects Christ?
• Do my lifestyle and character attract others?
• Do others take notice of my conduct that draw them to Christ?
• Am I really being an effective Christian?
• Am I a good ambassador of Jesus?
• Is there a change in me that others would conclude that it is something divine?
• Am I making myself usable by God?
• Am I living out the Word of God?
• Am I a contagious Christian?

[PRAYER]
Father God,

Help me in assessing my spiritual condition and reveal to me, if necessary, convict my heart of anything that displeases You and of anything that is hindering me from giving glory to You. Amen.



[Journal entry: July 9, 2011]

How Do You Do It?

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Jesus,

How did You remain calm and composed when people threw accusations and persecutions at You? How did you remain gracious and loving to people when You knew they would try and plan to kill You?  How did You still manage to be with people whom You knew would leave during Your darkest hour?How did You handle those fickle-minded people so graciously?

Another Significant Shaking

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Yesterday, rather last night, at around 8:30pm, an earthquake struck Sulangan, Philippines (near Pacific region) with an intensity of magnitude 7.6 to 7.9.  It was almost felt by the entire Philippines, but the intensified shaking was most felt in the eastern Samar region.

Nothing is Impossible

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

- Mark 10:27 -

Photo courtesy: God Loves U Ministries

Refresh!

Father God,

Refresh my soul. Refresh my soul oh God. I don't know what I'm feeling or what I'm going through now, but Father, You know exactly what I'm going through. My heart is not settled and I don't know why.  Father God, oh Father God -- refresh my spirit, my soul, my being! it seems that I couldn't receive anything from Your Word.  It's like something is hindering me from worshiping You.

If there is anything I need to confess to You, let Your Holy Spirit reveal it to me, Father. I need Your refreshment. I need Your revival.  I need to "relive." Father, I long for You, and I don't want to be "de-wired" from You.

Oh Father God, refresh  my spirit, my soul, and my being! In Jesus' name. Amen.

[Journal entry: May 13, 2011]

When The Apple of His Eye is Touched

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In His Glorious Riches

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

- Ephesians 3:16-20

[PRAYER]

Father God,

Mighty is Your Name! Majestic in power! Rich in love, grace, and mercy. Father God in heaven, let me take this time to thank You for every good and perfect gift that comes from You. Thank You for Your love, favor, grace, blessing, and mercy You have lavished on me. Thank You for Your faithfulness in my life though I have not been consistent in my walk with You. Thank You for WHO YOU ARE and for WHAT YOU HAVE DONE to my life.

Me Encourages Me and I

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

- Romans 15:13

Father God, let me be filled with Your joy and peace so that I may overflow with hope by Your Holy Spirit.

 

Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done—  by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.

- Romans 15:17-19

Let this also be my venture, Father God, to speak of nothing but what Christ has done through me.

It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.

- Romans 15:20

Let this be my ambition, too, God. 

Praise Be to The Lord my Rock

 

Psalm 144

1 Praise be to the Lord my Rock,
    who trains my hands for war,
    my fingers for battle.
2 He is my loving God and my fortress,
    my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues peoples under me.

3 Lord, what are human beings that you care for them,
    mere mortals that you think of them?
4 They are like a breath;
    their days are like a fleeting shadow.

It is Time

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I will set aside

     personal issues.

I will rise above

     personal conflicts.

I will stretch out

     personal hurts.

I will go beyond

     personal struggles.

I will leave behind

     immaturity.

It is time...

    time to grow up.

Father God,

By Your grace alone will I be able to do these... to leave behind these baggage and to press on. Father God, I surrender! I give my control to You. I am no longer in control. And I need your peace and joy.  I need You, oh God. I need You!

[July 10, 2011]

He is Sufficient

Father God,

It is during these times...during my spiritual lows that I am able to experience fully the sufficiency of Your grace.

Father God,

Even in my waiting time and in my spiritual lows I will exalt Your Name. God, be glorified! May Your Name be glorified in my life!

Romans 8:28 this I claim:

"For all things work together for good to those who love Him and are called according for Your purpose."

These low times will never go to waste. God has His purpose for allowing me to experience this. I trust You on this, God.

[September 5, 2011]

Impacting Through Prayer

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I will impact the world through PRAYER.

I will fight the battle with other saints through PRAYER.

I will reach places through PRAYER.

I will seek God through PRAYER.

Father God, in Your Sovereignty, You are at work.  You are making history. Everything is under Your control. Nothing shocks You. Nothing happens without You knowing it. Nothing happens beyond Your permission. You determine the world affairs, and You direct the minute details of our lives.

Jesus, let Your name be known to all nations. Beautiful God and Wonderful Savior! Jesus! Be exalted up high! Jesus! You have overcome the world! I praise Your Name! You are worthy to be praised!

Every nation will bow down in worship to Jesus, the King of Glory!

Let Your Holy Spirit rain down upon all nations! Holy Spirit rain down on us!

[October 4, 2011]

Seen From a Distance

All these people were still living by faith when they died.  They did not receive the things promised; they only save them and welcomed them from a distance.  And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.

- Hebrews 11:13 -

Noah. Abraham. Isaac. Jacob. Joseph. Moses. These are the few people mentioned in this chapter.  They are commended by their faith, holding on to the promise God had given them.  When I read the line, "They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance,"  I remembered mama.  She knew that God gave her a promise that her husband will be saved.  She knew and believed in her heart that God will do as He promised in Acts 16:31 and 1 Cor 7:14.  She had that kind of faith, persistently believing and not doubting that it will come to pass. God promised. Mama believed; she saw it only from afar.

The Lord, Faithful To His Own

Psalm 41

1 Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;
    the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.
2 The Lord protects and preserves them—
    they are counted among the blessed in the land—
    he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.
3 The Lord sustains them on their sickbed
    and restores them from their bed of illness.

4 I said, “Have mercy on me, Lord;
    heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
5 My enemies say of me in malice,
    “When will he die and his name perish? ”
6 When one of them comes to see me,
    he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander;
    then he goes out and spreads it around.

7 All my enemies whisper together against me;
    they imagine the worst for me, saying,
8 “A vile disease has afflicted him;
    he will never get up from the place where he lies.”
9 Even my close friend,
    someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
    has turned against me.

Today I Pray...

This is my prayer for today to You, Father God.

Psalm 121

 ¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
   where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
   the Maker of heaven and earth.

 ³ He will not let your foot slip—
   he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
   will neither slumber nor sleep.

 ⁵ The LORD watches over you—
   the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
   nor the moon by night.

 ⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
   he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
   both now and forevermore.

[Journal entry: September 30, 2011]

The Arms That Welcome Me Back

Father God,

No matter how many times I run away from You, I always find myself back into Your arms.  When I come running to You, I see Your arms outstretched ready to welcome me back.  Your loving arms... the warmth of Your hands I long... I seek.  No matter how many times I've disappointed You, You never fail to show Your smile and tender kiss when I come back into Your arms.

That love... that Love of Yours I could never find anywhere else.  That love of Yours, Father God, is what keeps me into Your arms.  Father God, how amazing is Your love... how unchanging are Your ways...how limitless is Your mercy... how sufficient is Your grace!

Father God, I come running back into Your arms.  Your love... that kind of love no one could ever give.  You alone, Father God, are the one I long for! I love You, Father God!

[Journal entry: August 26, 2011]

Today, I Pray For The Children and The Youth

We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

- Psalm 78:4-7

Father God,

Today I pray for the children of this generation; for the youth of this generation. Lord, thank You for You love children, and that they have a part in Your Kingdom. Lord, bless the young people of this age.  Open up their young minds and young heart that even at their early age they may know You.  Lord, it is never too early nor too late to know You.  So I pray today, particularly for the children of this nation for them to see a need of a Savior in Christ Jesus.

Lord, bless every child that is growing. Bless every child of the family that they may grow healthy, happy, and beautifully.   Lord, protect each child who is helpless. Shelter every child who is homeless. Feed every child who is hungry. Clothe every child who is naked. Father God, You are the giver of good gifts, and I believe that You are more than willing to give good gifts to these children. Use us, the adult believers, to accomplish these things for Your glory.

Father God, I also pray for dads and moms who are believers of Your Word to give them wisdom, understanding, gentleness, love, and guidance from Your Holy Spirit that they may rear up their children in a godly way.  Father God, bless every family of believers; give them enough strength and courage, loving kindness and patience for their growing children; give them the guidance on how to discipline their children; and most especially, give them the wisdom to teach their children about the knowledge and the love of God.

Encouraged by the Spirit of God

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

- Hebrews 12:1-3

Father God,

Thank You for Your encouragement today through Your Word.  Yes, Lord, I decide today to run with perseverance the race You have marked for me.  I will fix my eyes on Jesus and not on my circumstance.  Jesus has been before me, and He knows what I am going through and am feeling right now.  I may be in  a situation where my relationship with my father is in tension (well, it has always been that way), but by faith, I declare that there is full restoration in our relationship in Jesus' name. Thank You, Jesus!

On Being a Jew

A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical.  No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.  Such as a man's praise is not from men, but from God.

 - Romans 2: 28-29

[NIV Footnotes]
A real Jew is someone who pleases God, not someone who has been circumcised (outwardly) but someone whose heart is right with God and obeys Him.  God desires our heartfelt devotion and obedience.

How often am I living like a real Jew? How often do I live with a circumcised heart?  How often am I right with God? Father God, I confess that at times it seems like I live like a Jew outwardly but my heart is not.  Father, make my heart right with You; cleanse it and make it pure that I may give glory to You. In Jesus' name. Amen

[Journal entry: November 22, 2011].