My Journal |

I haven’t posted here for some time because we were having difficulty in our connection. But I am still very blessed because I know God is always there no matter what. I wasn’t able to connect with my friends and family for a while. Praise God that it is already fixed and I will be having more time to communicate with them.

I thank God not only for the financial and material blessings but more importantly I thank Him for His love and guidance and for the spiritual blessings. For my family, my husband, our kids, our parents, siblings and relatives.

It is also Lola Dely’s Birthday yesterday and today my father-in-law’s birthday! Tatay Gerry and Lola Dely, Happy Birthday to both of you and may God continue to bless you and the people around you as well. We love you both.

I just turned 33 yesterday. To God be all the glory!

At first, I thought having quiet time with God is as simple as praying to Him, spending a little time each day. I never thought that there are things and attitudes to follow to make our prayer time for GOD more effective.

Here are the steps.

1. We should start with a PROPER ATTITUDE

First, let us ask ourselves these questions. What is our intention in having quiet time with God? Is it just because we want to ask something from Him? Definitely, it will not please God if that is our reason for coming near to Him. God knows the desire of our heart. He just wants us to come near to Him and express our love for Him.

We should be eager to talk to Him and voluntarily, willingly. Don’t rush, feel His presence.Before you start your time with Him, make sure that you are wide awake.It is suggested that it is better to have this quiet time with Him in the morning because it quiet and our minds are still fresh from the cares of the world.

2. Let each one of us select a PROPER TIME

The best time to talk to God is when you are at your Best. It is the privilege to everyone to look for the proper time for him/her to pray to God. But it is morning when Jesus prays to the Father, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.” (Mark 1:35).

It doesn’t matter if you have 1 quiet time, some may want their time twice or thrice a day. Because some people wants to start the day hearing the voice of God and still His voice is what they want to hear at the end of the day.

One question often comes to our mind when we hear quiet time with God is “How long should I spend time with God?” You may start to spend 7 minutes talking to God and eventually it will naturally grow. But let us remember that we should count the minutes and don’t look at your watch for will be a hindrance to your focus which is to talk solely to God. Don’t start with a 2-hr quiet time. Having 7 minutes or more with him is best when you spend quality time. Aim for a quality relationship with God.

3. We should choose a PROPER PLACE

It is important to choose the proper location for us to meet God just like Abraham did, (Genesis 19:27). It should be a place where you can be alone, quiet and that no one will disturb you. A place where you can pray aloud without disturbing someone, where there is good lighting for you to read clearly, where you are comfortable except for your bed. It should be a special place because remember that you are meeting The King of kings.

4. Lastly, you should follow a SIMPLE PLAN

You will need to have three things with you during your quiet time. A Bible where you can read clearly the words of God. A Notebook where you can write God’s revelation and wisdom that He has given you and also if you want to write your prayers. Lastly, a Hymnbook when you want to sing for the Lord (Colossians 3:16). This welcomes the Holy Spirit for you to be ready to talk to God.

Start your quiet time by praying and asking for forgiveness, so you will be worthy to speak to God. Confess your sins to the Lord and He will forgive you. When you are ready, Read a scripture from the Bible. You should read SLOWLY (not in a hurry), REPEATEDLY (until you get the picture), WITHOUT STOPPING (allowing God to speak to you), ALOUD but quietly (this will improve your concentration and will understand better because you are hearing and seeing it as well, SYSTEMATICALLY (one book at a time, don’t jump from one book to another,sometimes you may want to SWEEP TO A BOOK or scan on it, but find time to read it again slowly or repeatedly.Meditate or reflect and memorize in order for the Scripture to speak to you. Write down God’s revelations to you. After that, you may want to speak to Him in prayer.

Don’t get frustrated when you miss a day. Just continue with your quiet time with Him. And always remember that a quiet time with God is a date with Him. We must not stand up with Him. For a quiet time to become a habit, we should have at least ONE QUIET TIME for 6 months. Make a strong vow and rely on the POWER OF GOD. With HIM all things are possible.

A PRAYER OF COMMITMENT

“Lord I commit myself to spending a definite time with You every day, no matter what the cost. I am depending on Your strength to help me to be consistent.”

Source: Purpose Driven Life

"If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." – Genesis 4:7 (NKJV)

"Kung mabuti ang ginawa mo, dapat kang magsaya. Kung masama naman, ang kasalana’y tulad ng mabangis na hayop na laging nag-aabang upang lupigin ka at pagharian. Kailangang pagtagumpayan mo ito." – Genesis 4:7 (Magandang Balita Biblia)

It helps to know and memorize some of the common verses in the Bible. This will make our relationship with God grow deeper and will help us in our daily struggles. Memorizing verses from the Bible will remind us to turn away from the bad things we do. It will remind us of the love of God to us. It will uplift our spirits and develop our intimacy with God. May you join me in this experience. God Bless You All In Jesus Mighty Name.

Why is it that this question is common to most of husbands and wives. During courtship women feel so special and secured because of the special treatment their husbands gives to them. Probably, some men also think  "Why is it that she is no longer taking care of me after having our children?". There are "she says","he says" in a relationship. This means that there are things that men don’t understand about women and vice versa. They seem to have different languages of love.

Way back, I used to ask my husband "Why is it that your treatment to me when you were still courting me is no longer the same as today? Before I always get your attention more than anything else. But now you don’t seem to listen to me at all. It feels like you’re more interested in watching television and your computer."

Probably my husband also have some complaints about me but he just stays quiet. I always ask him what is wrong with me but he seemed to edit the things that is in his mind. My husband is a very kind person. Maybe he is just practicing his patience with me. Accepting me for who I am. I always complain a lot, maybe he is just understanding my attitude and accepting me for who I am. I used to get mad at him, sometimes i tend to hurt him and myself. There were times when i would ask him to end this marriage. But he never gave up on me. He tried to understand me. He continued to be a good example as a Christian.

My husband is not perfect like any other guy. He probably is kind and loving but there are things that i hate about him. That is when he becomes very insensitive. He really makes me feel that he doesn’t care about me when he is like that sometimes. But God is good. He did not let this misunderstanding last. He  improved a lot and myself as well.

We started to study the word of God as a couple and learned from it. Now, I can say that our marriage really is different from before. When we have some misunderstandings, we can settle it at once. We find time to talk. I used to get furious everytime he is in front of the computer but now I understand. I already enjoy the things that he enjoys. We have adjusted our attitudes with one another. I cannot say that our marriage is perfect but God works in us and our marriage as well. And our treatment with one another also improved our relationship with our kids.

Let us make GOd the center of our relationship. God keeps our marriage strong and I’m sure He will do the same with you if you just let Him.

But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:7–8 (NCV)

How do we know that we are having authentic or true friendships with people? I believe that true friendships show their true attitudes, no pretensions. Friends are the ones who are there when you need their help. Lifts you up when you’re down. Gives you encouragement in times of failure. They are the ones who doesn’t only see and tell what’s good in you, but corrects you when they feel and think that you are not in the right path, the path that leads to GOD. This means that they show their concern and that they love you. And that they don’t want you to be away from the light of God.

True friends show compassion. A Christian fellowship is not just an ordinary chitchat about the things we see or the stories we about the people around, but a heart to heart talk with one another, sharing our problems and giving advice. Being a friend, we should have the heart to listen to them, be attentive to what they say to us. We should also listen with our hearts so that they will feel our compassion for them.

We are blessed to have friends who stick with us thru good and bad times. This past few days I felt a bit of dryness in my Spirit. Thinking more of the earthly things in life. Maybe that’s the reason why I felt a bit of dryness in my spirit. But I thank God for His conviction. This awakening again brings back the joy I have been looking for. I thank God for giving me such loving friends around me who makes me laugh and share my insights with. I thank God for making them instruments for the revival of my spirit. I really feel the joy in the fellowship with my Christian friends.

I love my friends and I feel honored when they share their experiences or problems with me. I can feel the trust that they are giving to me. That is why now I am no longer afraid to share my experiences with them.

To let our friendships grow let us follow what is written in the Bible, "Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed" (James 5:16 MSG).

May the Lord God Bless our True Christian Friendships and may we continue to let Him reign in our lives.

“I will hear what the God the Lord will speak,

For He will speak peace

To His people and His saints;

But let them not turn back to folly.

Surely His Salvation is near to those who fear Him,

That glory may dwell in our land.”

                                     – Psalm 85:8-9 -

 

God loves you very much and He wants you to live forever with Him in a beautiful place called Heaven.

Heaven is perfect! There are no bad things in Heaven. There is nothing to make you sad or lonely or afraid. Everything is just right!

Our world is not perfect. It is not perfect because of sin. Sin is doing something that God does not like.

In God’s Book, the Bible, we read that everyone, including you and me, has sinned—we have done bad things that God does not like. Our sins separate us from God. God cannot let a person with sin in his heart come and live with Him. Sin would ruin a perfect Heaven.

Because we have sin in our hearts, we deserve to be separated from God forever. But there is good news! God still loves us! He does not want us to be separated from Him, so He made a way for our sins to be forgiven and washed away.

God sent His own Son, Jesus, to earth. Jesus died on a cross, and then came back to life again so the sins of everyone in the world could be forgiven. By His death, He made a bridge between God and us. That bridge is called salvation.

Just because Jesus died for the sins of the world doesn’t mean that everyone is going to Heaven. God wants us to be there with Him. But just knowing about salvation is not enough. Each person must receive salvation for himself.

To receive salvation, you must do this:

Admit that you have sin in your heart and need God’s help.

Ask God for His forgiveness. Tell Him that you are sorry for the bad things you have done.

Believe that Jesus died for your sins and that He is the only way for you to go to Heaven.

Turn away from sin. God promises in His Book that He will help you stop sinning and live a new, clean life.

Receive. When you invite Jesus into your heart and promise to obey Him, He promises to come into your heart. He gives you the gift of eternal life in His perfect Heaven!

How do you do this?

It is not hard. If you want to receive God’s salvation, pray a prayer like this one from your heart.

 

Dear God, Thank You for loving me. I know that I have sinned, and I am very, very sorry! I know that my sins separate me from You, and I don’t want to sin anymore. Please forgive me for everything I have done wrong. Help me to obey You and to please You for the rest of my life. Jesus, I invite You to come into my heart to be my very best friend. I choose to live for You instead of myself. Thank You for hearing my prayer and answering it. In Jesus name, Amen.

When you pray like this and mean it with all your heart, God promises to answer you. And God always keeps His promises! He will make you feel clean and happy and good inside.

Did you pray a prayer like this? If so, welcome to God’s family!

Source : Apostolic Faith Church

I am so blessed experiencing the love of God in our life. I can see  and feel how God works in our family. I see the goodness of God in our relationship with our kids as well as my relationship with husband. I can say that our relationships aren’t perfect. If we let God be the center of our relationships He will restore whatever ruined relationships we have. But the first thing we must do is to Restore our Relationship with God, and He will restore our relationships with the people around us.

God is always available. He is just waiting for our call.

“Call to me, and I will answer  you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”   – Jeremiah 33:3

When I started to become a Christian, i have always believed that for a person to become an effective worker for the Lord, you need to experience problems so big that you almost can’t bear it. In my case, I have not experienced  such big problems like others have. So, in the beginning of my service to God, I did worked in the Ministry just to please other people specifically my husband, because he is active in his Ministries. I just go along with the flow, and do whatever they would ask me to do.I would always say to myself, “You are not worthy to belong in the family of God”. And so everytime, i tell that to myself, i would stop and find it unnecessary for me to become a servant of God. But everytime I fall, God picks me up and wakes me and makes me feel that He loves me so much that He doesn’t want to let me go. I would meet some people that seem to have a not so very nice attitude and get stumbled with their wrong doings. I always tell that to my husband. But everytime i tell him he just say that I should always fix my eyes on Jesus. And then one day, a friend of mine who is also a Christian sent me a link from the Apostolic Faith Church. I subscribed for their Daily Devotional. I would always read from it as i receive daily emails from them. It really helped a lot in the improvement of my spiritual growth. My relationship with my husband and kids became much better. Now, I know I am important in the eyes of God and We are all important to Him. We just  have to discover what is the purpose of God in our lives. God doesn’t look at our physical traits or whatever degree we have. God looks into our hearts, the joy of serving and loving Him makes him very happy.

They would always ask me, “Where do you work?”. Then I would answer,i am just a  housewife, mother,nanny and pity myself. But now it’s different. I feel so blessed to become a servant of God. The next time someone would ask me, I would answer, “I work for  God and for the Glory of His Name”.

“If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him my Father will honor.”  – John 12:26

It’s my sister’s birthday today! She’s a very caring person especially as a sister. Shows her concern to everyone around her. Loves her nieces and nephews very much. I remember the first time our eldest sister ate Weng and kuya Philip had their  first born Mark, even though she is 3 yrs younger than me she already knew how to take care of babies better than me. She makes all our kids feel very happy everytime we come to the Philippines for a vacation. She would do anything, as in anything, just to make the kids  enjoy their vacation. She would bring Sarah with her because she knew that the kids love Sarah as well. She is not selfish because she shares her blessings to others.

Joy is not only my sister. She’s also my bestfriend.Friends come and go but she is always there for me and our family. She’s really a friend to me because she tells me if i’m wrong or i’m right. And I thank God for giving me such a loving sister like her.

Sis Happy Happy Birthday to you. God Bless you in Jesus Mighty Name. Keep on smiling! We miss you!

This past past few days, we have been very active in our ministry. Helping people with their problems. We want to reach out to other people and help them to the best of our ability. But at the end of the day, I noticed that we have little time for our children. I feel guilty helping others while spending very little time with the kids. Inspite of our little time with them, God gives me patience to deal with their tantrums as kids. That makes the little time with them worth while. It’s not how long you spend time with your children, but what’s important is that you’re spending quality time with them. I know little by little God is changing us, our attitudes toward circumstances.

Every lunchtime, I would wait for my husband to come home and eat with him and our youngest son, while our two other kids are in school. After which I would to talk to him about anything. One time he had a headache and I was frustrated because the whole morning I waited for him only to see him rest because of his headache. I cried but then I saw our youngest, I stopped crying and realized, i should also focus my attention to our kids.I sang with him and that made him smile and then he hugged and kissed me. And that changed my mood and really made me happy. If we cannot change the situation, we should change our attitude.

There are times when we had to sacrifice our time teaching them because we had to help a friend. But God gives wisdom to our kids, bringing back their interest in school activities, having good grades, and also I believe their attitudes are also being changed with God’s help.I always pray that God will continually guide us in raising our children as we spend quality time with them. 

To God Be All The Glory!