November 18, 2011

" Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. -1 Peter 3:3-5, NLT-

I was feeling so insecure of my outward appearance because of my little sister and may the Lord forgive me for ever feeling this way towards her. I really need to be reminded of these verses from time to time because for God, the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit is what really matters to Him. That I should not feel bad about myself because He made me so beautiful in every way and that He lives in me.

Lord, thank You so much. Thank You for Your love. Lord, I know that You are there and watching over me. Thank You so much for being there for me always. May my life give You honor and glory in every way. Thank You so much Father, amen.

"Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end". -Ecclesiastes 3:11, NLT-

Lord, You are the Author of time. Lord, whatever that is that You are doing in my life, I know that it will be so beautiful in Your own time. I will just trust in Your proper and just right timing for my life. Thank You so much. I do not see the whole and the bigger picture but knowing that You do gives me this peaceful feeling. Thank You so much, Father. Amen.

November 13, 2011

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take". -Proverbs 3:5-6,NLT-

I am blessed by the song "Better than I". It is a song that talks to God letting go of everything that we have at hand and letting Him do His will for He always knows the best paths for us to take. We humans have the tendency to take things in our hands, to decide on our own and not seek His will. And if we find ourselves in deep mud again, we also have the tendency to ask Him and even blame His at times for our own mistakes.

I am having this dilemma right now. Yet, this time around I am going to seek His will for me and let go of everything that I have at hand. The Lord knows what I am going through and He will give me wisdom as I go through this tunnel again.

I will trust Him with all my heart and not rely on my own understanding. I will acknowledge Him in all I do and for sure He will show me which to path to take.

I will do this. I Jesus' name. Amen.

November 12, 2011

“[Do Not Love This World] Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.” -1 John 2:15-16 NLT-

I am not feeling well right now. I am not at peace. Because of what I have been doing again.

I have been stressed because of what has been happening these days and to add more insult to the injury, I think the secular song that I heard last Sunday affected me though I did not really acknowledge that.

I was feeling bad again and yes, I fell into my sinful actions again. I have been indulging with my worldly cravings and my fleshly desires.

I want to go back to God. I want to have a relationship with Him. I know He is just there, I was the only one who went astray again.

Lord, I want to go back to You. Lord, I am so sorry for all the things I have been doing, the wrong thoughts, the bad actions. Lord, I am really sorry. Lord, I have been letting hate, pride, lust and bitterness rule over my heart. These bad emotions, I have been letting them get the best out of me. I am so sorry. For saying bad words about other people, for talking about other people's lives, for being so proud, vain everything.

Lord, lead me back to You. Please.

November 9, 2011

"Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NLT-

Lord, thank You so much for this message. Thank You that I am reminded that this burden is light and that You did not intend for me to carry all of these alone. Lord, thank You and yes Lord, I have friends that I can turn to specially these trying times of my life.

Lord, I know that this family can weather this storm because You are with us. only we have to acknowledge Your presence here. Lord, I am strong because You made me to be. Because of the grace You have been giving me. Lord, I cannot carry this so please Lord accept them as I bring them all at Your feet. Lord, I know You have Your plans Lord. Plans to prosper and not to harm us, to give us a hope and a future.

Lord, I will find rest for my soul in You. Lord, this is easy because You are there. You are the One who is giving me hope. I will cast all my burdens upon You. I will give You everything, my concerns, my worries. I will Lord. I will Lord.

I am resting at Your hands. I am drawing my strength from You. Thank You so much for this lovely and wonderful reminder.

Let me not be so afraid to open my heart and love another person, specially a man just because it did not work out between my parents. I have a different life, one that is led and guided by You. It may not be so perfect and rose-colored but with assurance that You have everything under control. The enemy has no hold in me, in us, in Jesus' name, amen.

November 8, 2011

"Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry". 1 Corinthians 10:14 NIV

Very simple statement. A simple command and admonition actually but with great impact. This is true. Idols don't have to be just carved stones and images. They can also be people or habits just like mine.

I want to be free from this sinful behavior. I will run. I will flee. All by God's grace.

November 6, 2011

"And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only.-1 Samuel 7:3-4,NIV84-

No one and nothing should be in the center of our heart except God. Sometimes, things and concerns of this world make Him the least of our priorities. We make idols for ourselves. God hates that so much. It is really important specially if we want to have a quiet and peaceful soul to have God first in every area of our lives. Put Him first. Consider first His thoughts, the things that would please and displease Him. Serve Him only. Only Him.

November 5, 2011

"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy". -Proverbs 28:13,NIV-

Lord, I am still praying for real Christian friends whom I can be accountable with and I can be confident with specially when confessing the sins I am committing. Lord, thank You for being there but still You said that "two is better than one." Lord, I cannot do this all alone. I also need other human beings whom I can talk to and share my joys and struggles with. Lord, I may have some but it is not that easy to keep them. Lord, please help me. All I want is to become more obedient and just obedient to You. I am not concealing my sins. I will confess my mistakes and will ask for Your forgiveness and of course the grace to change my heart. Thank You so much Father. Amen.

November 4, 2011

“What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,”says the Lord. You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins." -Isaiah 30-1, NLT-

It is always good to seek and ask the Lord first for whatever we are going to do or undertake in our lives. We may be heading to a dangerous path without His blessings if we are not going to do so.

I was guilty of this sin before. I used to do things without even consulting Him nor asking Him. Or even if I did so, I would not listen and would still go my own way. It was no surprise if I would see myself brokenhearted and in pain.

We have all plans in our hearts. Yet, it is always the best thing if we consult God first and wait for whatever answer He is going to give us. Let us not fall into the trap of thinking we could do it on our own for we could never do that so. Only if we are with God can we move peacefully and wholeheartedly with our plans.

November 2, 2011

"As they make music, they will say,'All my fountains are in You." -Psalm 87:7, NIV-

Lord, may my joy always come from You. My source of strength and hope, my source of happiness is from You. Thank You Lord. All my fountains are in You. Everything. Nothing and no one else could ever give that except You. Thank You Lord. Amen.

Mark 9:43-47 NLT

"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,...-Mark 9:43-47, NLT-

Have I really surrendered everything to God? The enemy is so deceptive sometimes his lies are veiled with something so nice and harmless that we will give in to them. In my case, have I really completely destroyed everything that makes my soul unclean and impure?

Radical change is to be done. If I have to throw a book or delete a song, I will do it. Later at night when I get home, I will do those things.

I will ask God to show me everything that actually hinders me from walking with Him.

1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT

"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
-1 Corinthians 10:31, NLT-

Lord, I have been doing things all for self-aggrandizement and for my own glory. So that people would notice me and admire me. Forgive me for these things and uproot selfishness inside my heart. Change me Lord and give me the grace to do things all for Your glory so that people will You in me. Thank You Lord. Thank You for this wonderful reminder that whatever I eat or drink or whatever I do, I will do it for Your glory. Out of my love and respect for You. Thank You Lord for Your teachings. Thank You Lord. It is always all about you. Amen.

I am going to do things all by God's grace and for His glory. To honor Him with my body.

Isaiah 36:18-20 NLT

“It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God." -Isaiah 36:18-20 NLT-


Lord, this is true. As I was reading this I just felt bad about the way the Assyrian king insulted you. He had no knowledge of you that was why he was like that. Lord, of course, You are the only one true God, how could he destroy You?

Father, thank You that You are a living and real God, not made of wood or product of our imagination. Thank You for introducing Yourself to me. Thank You also for choosing me. Father God, help me as I go about this day. Lord, may not anything become first in my life except You. You will be the first. Thank You Lord for being real and true. Amen.

Isaiah 35:10 NLT

"Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness.-Isaiah 35:10,NLT-

I specially love the last two lines from this verse. That "sorrow and mourning will disappear and they will be filled with gladness."

I was feeling sad a while ago for when I woke up I felt this longing again to be noticed and loved by a man. I was feeling this insecurity but then God reminded me of His grace and He will be the source of my joy. I must admit that I have desires and longings, God does not undermine them and I lift up to Him these.

I will have joy coming from the Lord. I will experience gladness from Him.

Lord, thank You for reminding me that my sadness will just simply go away. I am being deceived again by the enemy, bombarding me with thoughts that will just bring me to my downfall if I give in.

Thank You Father for this day. Amen.

John 8:10-11

"Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”“No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” -John 8:10-11, NLT-

I am blessed by these verses specially verse 11. I was honestly not feeling good about myself specially with all my stupid actions yesterday all because of an unworthy person. But Jesus knew better. I was reminded that I was sinful, the Holy Spirit kept on prodding inside my heart. At first, I was tempted not to pray anymore. But it was the devil who kept on giving me accusations.

Thank God, He gave me this verse. I was reminded of my sin but the good thing is that Jesus does not condemn me and He just gently and lovingly reminds me to go and sin no more. That His love would propel me to not commit the same mistakes over and over again.

Yes, the temptation is there and it is quite not easy to fight it sometimes. But thank God for His grace and mercy, I am given the chance to do things over again and not go around the same sin mountain again.

I am loved, accepted and forgiven by Him.

Two Are Better Than One

"Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." -Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12, NLT-

It is better if we have someone to help us and uplift us and vice-versa as we walked in our Christian faith. This life is not without struggles so we need people who we can trust and tell what bothers us in order that they may help and uplift us. In my case, I need someone to help me and pray with me as I deal with my own struggles.

Lord, I have been praying to You for accountability partners who I can share my struggles with. Those who could understand me and would pray for me and vice-versa. Lord, show me those people so that I can have a better walk with You, one that is honoring and glorifying to You. Lord, show me those people who I could honestly be open about what is going on inside my heart and my head. Lord, thank You Lord. Two is better than but three is even better. If I have You and my accountability partner, there would be very few to almost zero "fall into sin" scenario.

Lord, show them to me Father and touch their hearts. Amen.

Proverbs 13:20: Walking With The Wise

"Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble."
-Proverbs 13:20, NLT-

Dear Lord,

I am thinking right now after reading my day 7 in Setting Captives Free. I am thinking that for me to become more consistent with my walk with You, for me to decide wisely and for me to become more spiritually matured, I must be with other believers who are wise enough to share with me wisdom coming from Your word. Father, I am still praying for accountability partners, people whom I would become accountable and honest with as regards my thoughts, actions everything that comes into my mind.
Father, help me. I have many unbelieving friends and christian friends only a few. Lord, I am praying that You bring them into my life. Please Father. I want to walk with the wise and never associate with fools for they would only bring me destruction. Thank You Lord God.

Thank You for this brand new morning and help me Father to make wise and sound decision all throughout the day. Protect each one of us and guide us in every way. Amen.